One Bowl Quinoa Chopped Salad

This One Bowl Quinoa Chopped Salad is made up entirely of pantry items, bowl included. Minimal mess, big flavor!! Can’t get any easier.

I’ll be the first to say it, I’m not a fan of quinoa…its bitter tasting. I was ready to give up on quinoa entirely but a very good friend of mine suggested I give it another try. He was adamant and of course I simply scoffed at him, through text of course lol. Fast Forward to present day… Someone in my house bought a bag of quinoa. I’m not a fan of food waste and coming up with pantry recipes is fun, sooo I said what the hell, let me play with the damn quinoa… and I’m glad I did 😉

No idea why I never did this before but what I did differently was to treat the quinoa like I was making Dominican Rice. I rinsed it several times, toasted it in a little oil and added flavor to the water. Garlic, chicken bouillon cube and Sazon Loisa were my flavor enhancers. Next time I’ll use stock as well but all In all I am very happy with the results. It was perfect for this recipe.

This post is not just about finding my quinoa groove, its more about how easy and delicious this salad is to make. All you really need is one bowl, hence the name One Bowl Quinoa Chopped Salad. The vinaigrette is super simple, no measurements needed. Chop up your veggies, add it to the quinoa plus enough lemon juice and good extra virgin olive oil to wet the salad.. thats it! Super simple and super delicious!! Plus cleanup is a breeze!

If you like super simple yet explosive flavors like in this recipe then check out my Heirloom Tomatoes, Burrata with Chimichurri😉

One Bowl Quinoa Chopped Salad

Yield: serves 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This One Bowl Quinoa Chopped Salad is made up entirely of pantry items, bowl included. Minimal mess, big flavor!! Can't get any easier.

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Ingredients

• 1.5 cups cooked quinoa 
• 1 5oz can of Solid White Albacore tuna
• 1/4-1/3 cup Spanish Olives, chopped 
• 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper,  chopped 
• 1/2 small Red onion, chopped 
• Handful of Parsley leaves, chopped 
• Handful of fresh Dill, chopped 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1-2 Lemons, zest of 1 
• Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste 

Quinoa

• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 smashed garlic clove
• 1 Tsp Sazon Loisa*
• 1.5 Cups water
• Dash of Kosher Salt

To serve:

• Any Lettuce greens, cut up, rinsed and dried  
• Croutons or crusty bread 
• Feta Cheese 

Instructions

1. Make the quinoa first. Rinse the quinoa under cold running water a few times. (at least 2). Place a small sauce pot over medium heat and add a little oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the pot is hot add the quinoa and toast until the grains are dry. Add the garlic, sazon, and water plus a dash of salt. Bring it up to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork. set it aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
2. Transfer 1.5 cups of the cooked quinoa (store the rest) to a bowl and add all your chopped veggies and herbs.
3. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus a few healthy glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.
4. Divide the lettuce greens between two bowls and top with the quinoa salad, the tuna, some feta and croutons. Drizlzle more lemon juice and oil as needed or desired.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

*Sazon is a multi-purpose seaoning, Loisa is the brand. If you can't get your hands on Loisa, dont fret. all supermarkets carry many brands of sazon in the ethnic/spanish aisle.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 465Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 63mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 18gSugar: 8gProtein: 50g

nutrition information is not always accurate