Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Quinoa – Cooking the quinoa in chicken broth makes for a more flavorful quinoa. Water can be substituted for the chicken broth in a pinch.
• Zucchini – Zucchini or courgette is a summer squash with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Try swapping or supplementing the zucchini with yellow squash. I like to cook the zucchini until it’s golden brown for added flavor.
• Corn – While I use fresh corn in this recipe, frozen corn can easily be thawed and substituted in this recipe.
• Tomato – Diced Roma tomatoes are used in this recipe. They have a low-moisture content and big acidic tomato flavor. They can easily be swapped with beefsteak tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.
• Feta – Feta cheese has a tangy and salty flavor. It’s frequently used in Greek cooking and is typically made from sheep’s milk. It complements the vegetables and quinoa in this fresh summer salad.

How to Make Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Step 1 : Cook the quinoa.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, and cook covered on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Step 2: Fluff the quinoa.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Cover and set aside.

Step 3: Make the honey lemon dressing.

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

Step 4: Cook zucchini.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.

Step 5: Cook corn.

Add the corn and the garlic and continue to cook until the corn kernels soften, about an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Step 6: Combine quinoa and veggies.

In a large bowl combine the quinoa, zucchini and corn mixture, tomato and green onion. Add the vinaigrette stirring to coat all the ingredients evenly. Add half of the feta cheese and herbs, then toss to combine once more.

Step 7: Serve.

To serve the vegetable quinoa salad, top with the remaining feta cheese, parsley and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Swaps and substitutions 

• This recipe is flexible so you can easily add your favorite summer vegetables like yellow squash, bell pepper, diced cucumber, thinly sliced snap peas or ripe avocado. 
• The roma tomatoes can be swapped for halved cherry tomatoes. 
• The feta can be swapped for another crumbly cheese like cotija. You can also replace the feta with pieces of grilled halloumi. 

Variations on this quinoa salad

• Make it vegan. To make this recipe vegan, simply omit the feta cheese. 
• Swap the grain. Rather than quinoa, try using another grain like farro or couscous (however the recipe will no longer be gluten-free). 
• Make it more filling. Add a protein like a meat or seafood pairing from below or add greens like arugula or baby spinach. 

What to Pair with This Quinoa Salad

• Simple Salt & Pepper Chicken Thighs 
• Easy Boneless Chicken Thighs
• Grilled Salmon Skewers
• Pan-Seared White Fish

Other Recipes to Try

If you like this vegetable quinoa salad recipe, try these other summer recipes:

• Summer Panzanella Salad
• Heirloom Tomato & Grilled Veggie Salad with Burrata
• Summer Lobster & Corn Rigatoni
• Cherry Tomato “Naked Bruschetta” Crostini