This fresh salad is fresh and sweet and makes a great side for your pork or chicken dinner or with some chickpeas if you're going meatless! Fresh strawberries, feta, quinoa and spinach are drizzled with a balsamic reductions and toasted almonds.
I had to jump on the strawberry balsamic bandwagon...because it's just so good! Strawberries are sweet but don't contain excessive sugar and the balsamic vinegar reduction makes it even sweeter.
Easy Quinoa Salad Recipe
I love recipes that look beautiful, but that I don't have to invest a lot of my time in. The hardest and most time consuming part of this recipe is waiting for the quinoa to cook and vinegar to reduce. Waiting is the worst.
It's just a matter of chopping and stirring it all together after that.
Balsamic Reduction
It's all about the balsamic reduction in this quinoa salad. It takes from pretty good to over the top. The house will smell like vinegar for about 20 minutes, but do not fear! It will go away and this said is great served cold, so if you're expecting company, you can make it a few hours in advance.
My favorite thing about summer is the abundance of low sugar, high flavor berries. They have all the sweetness, Vitamin C and plentiful fiber. What's not to obsess over?
The crunch of the almonds and the tang of the feta in this quinoa salad should not be ignored. If you have issues with dairy, or you're pregnant, then you're just going to have to skip the feta. But don't skip the nuts! Use walnuts, hazelnuts, whatever you have on hand, they'll all be delicious, but you need the crunch!
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Spring Strawberry Salad - a crunchy and sweet salad loaded with fresh veggies and blueberries.
- Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole - a family classic loaded with protein
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Lemon Swirl Muffins - Like strawberry lemonade in a muffin!
📖 Recipe
Balsamic Strawberry Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup quinoa (rinsed)
- 1 ⅓ cup water
- ⅔ c. balsamic vinegar
- ½ c. Feta (crumbled)
- 2 c. strawberries (quartered)
- 3 c. baby spinach
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ c. almond slices (toasted, for garnish)
Instructions
- COOK THE QUINOA: In a small pot, bring quinoa, water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, covered.
- MAKE BALSAMIC REDUCTION: In a small sauce pan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- COMBINE SALAD INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, combine quinoa, feta, strawberries and spinach. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- SERVE: Drizzle with balsamic glaze and garnish with almonds.
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