We got this email from a reader a few months back: Hi Sonja and Alex. I just had the most delicious Greek salad at Panera. I would love to make this at home but don’t know where to start. Perhaps you do? -Kathy.” When we read Kathy’s request, we said: why don’t we just try to make a recipe? It resulted in this Mediterranean quinoa salad! It’s a seriously tasty quinoa bowl: a hearty main dish salad that works as a meal. Here’s how to make it!
Tips for this Mediterranean quinoa salad
This Mediterranean quinoa salad is a bit different than most: it’s more like a quinoa bowl that works as a healthy dinner recipe! Here are a few notes on the flavors:
The main feature? A quinoa tomato sofrito blend. Sofrito is a sauce used as a base in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American cooking. Typically in Spanish cuisine, it’s garlic, onion, paprika, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil (it’s also typical as a basis for starting a paella). Here a simplified sofrito adds an almost meaty flavor and texture to the quinoa. Some people complain about a bitter taste from quinoa, but the sofrito makes it taste tangy and almost sweet! Accessorize with Mediterranean veggies. To make it a main dish Mediterranean quinoa salad, serve it over greens with cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta, and a tasty vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, and oregano.Serve as a healthy lunch or dinner. This salad turned out even more satisfying than we imagined! Eat it as a healthy lunch or dinner recipe, accessorized with bread, toast or crackers.
Olive oil nutrition
There’s a healthy dose of olive oil in this Mediterranean quinoa salad, as with most of Mediterranean diet cuisine. And speaking of health and olive oil, there’s been found to be a correlation between the two!
Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil can help you fight stress, improve mood swings, decrease mental fatigue and even manage your weight. Not all fats are bad! Harvard School of Public Health recommends some healthy fat intake; as a rule of thumb, out with the bad, in with the good.Olive olive may reduce the risk of heart disease. The FDA says eating 2 tablespoons of olive oil a day may reduce the risk of heart disease, due to its monounsaturated fat content.
With both health benefits and big flavor, this bowl was a win in our house. Thanks to Kathy for the challenge to create this Panera quinoa salad recipe!
More quinoa recipes
Outside of this quinoa salad, we have many quinoa recipes on A Couple Cooks! Here are a few of our favorite quinoa recipes:
Basic QuinoaPerfectly Seasoned QuinoaKale Quinoa SaladLoaded Quinoa TacosQuinoa TabboulehQuinoa Fried RiceQuinoa EnchiladasEasy Quinoa BowlQuinoa Black Bean Vegan Chili
This Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the feta crumbles. 5 from 2 reviews
1 ½ cups dry quinoa 1 small white onion (or 1/2 large) 1 large garlic clove 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon dried thyme 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided Black pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 6 tablespoons olive oil
For the Mediterranean quinoa salad
¼ cup sliced almonds 2 romaine hearts 1 large bunch Lacinato kale or 5 ounces baby kale 1/2 English cucumber ⅓ cup kalamata olives ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
