Description
This quinoa and fresh beet salad is a bright and flavorful recipe that’s as easy to make as it is pretty! Made with perfectly cooked, fluffy quinoa, raw shredded beets, fresh herbs, green onions, and a lemony dressing. It’s the perfect healthy side dish or a great start to a complete meal if you add some cooked protein and maybe a few handfuls of fresh salad greens. The recipe is also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan / vegetarian!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup quinoa (we used tri-colored quinoa)
- 2 cups water
- 3 medium beets, peeled and grated
- 6 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa. If your quinoa is not already pre-rinsed (it should specify on the packaging), rinse it well using a fine mesh strainer. Add quinoa to a medium sized pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a strong simmer. Stir once more, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and take off the lid. Allow the steam to release for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Set aside to cool. To cool it faster, transfer to a shallow bowl (so the quinoa can spread out a bit), move to the refrigerator, and stir every 5 minutes while it cools.
- Make the dressing. While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the dressing. Add lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup or honey, Dijon mustard, and kosher salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Assemble the salad. Once quinoa has cooled to at least room temperature, add quinoa, beets, green onions, and parsley to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed. You can also add a little extra lemon juice if you’d like more acidity.
- Serve and enjoy. Garnish salad with additional parsley and green onions if desired. Serve immediately or transfer to the refrigerator for up to 3 hours until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
Once dressed, this salad should keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If you want to make it ahead of time I suggest leaving the dressing separate until about an hour before serving. This step will ensure that the herbs and green onions stay fresh.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy