Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Ready in under 30 minutes and using only 10 ingredients, this Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad is a healthy addition to any Summer dinner!
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Quinoa is considered a "superfood" and has recently come onto the scene as a rice replacement. It is considered a better alternative to other carbs, such as pasta and rice. It's full of fiber and protein making a better choice when you're looking for a carb.
Quinoa- Use your favorite brand! Trader Joe's has some great options as does Aldi. If you want to buy one on Amazon, I recommend this one.
Summer Veggies- For this recipe, I used zucchini, bell peppers, and red onion. You can also use yellow squash, Portobello mushrooms, and Vidalia onions. This recipe is very versatile and you can substitute your favorite veggies!
Balsamic Vinegar- Balsamic vinegar serves, not only, as a marinade for the veggies, but also as the vinaigrette. If you don't have balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar works perfectly as well.
Mozzarella- Fresh mozzarella is my favorite, but cut up regular mozzarella would be a great substitute. Stay away from shredded as it would just disappear into the salad.
Time needed: 30 minutes.
Let's Make this Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad!
- Cook the quinoa
Boil the quinoa according to package instructions using the chicken broth to cook the quinoa in.
- Marinate the vegetables
While the quinoa is cooking, cut the vegetables into quarters and place them in a Ziploc bag. Add ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar to the Ziploc bag and let the vegetables sit for 5 minutes.
After the vegetables have marinated for 5 minutes, place them on the hot grill and grill them for 5 minutes on each side. Take them off the grill and place them on a cutting board.
When the vegetables have been taken off the grill, chop them into bite sized pieces and add them to a large bowl.
Once the quinoa is done cooking, add the quinoa to the bowl of grilled vegetables.
Chop the basil and add it to the bowl.
Mix the rest of the balsamic vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil and add it to the bowl.
If the quinoa and grilled vegetables are cooled, add the mozzarella at this time. If it's still a little hot, wait until the salad has cooled and add the mozzarella. You don't want the mozzarella to melt. Mix everything together and serve at room temperature or cool and serve cold.
Tip: If you want to make this indoors instead of outdoors, a stovetop grill pan will get your the same results an outdoor grill.
This salad will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
What are other variations of this salad?Make it vegan!- Instead of mozzarella, add avocado for some extra healthy fats. Use vegetable broth or water to cook the quinoa in.
Serve this salad as a side to a burger like this Chicken burger with feta and spinach. It would also be perfect as a side to grilled salmon, grilled shrimp, steak tips, or even grilled chicken!
Did you give this Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad a try? I’d love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! And don't forget to check out some other drool worthy recipes below! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
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Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad
Recipe details
- 8 Servings
- Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 25 Minutes Total time: 30 min
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