Arugula Quinoa Salad

This Arugula Quinoa Salad recipe is easy to make and features bursts with delicious tangy flavors from olives and hearts of palm. It’s a filling salad that’s great to make-ahead for the week, and is also perfect as a side dish for a get-together. And the best part? This vibrant vegan quinoa salad is ready in less than 30 minutes!

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Why I love this Quinoa Salad with Arugula

Oi Gente!

This arugula quinoa salad is one to love. It’s fresh, filling and packed full of amazing ingredients. Carrots and red onions add beautiful color and crunch. Green olives and hearts of palm add a tang we just love! And the arugula adds a fresh spicy flavor, as well as that leafy pop of green every salad needs.

This pretty salad is also packed with plant based protein from the quinoa and black beans, making it super nutritious and filling. It’s a great make-ahead meatless recipe to make on a Sunday, to have days worth of easy lunches during the week.

And the vinaigrette makes this salad even better! It’s a simple vinaigrette, with red wine vinegar and olive oil, but we also add some herbs and a touch of cumin to add just enough earthy and nutty flavors to the mix. You’ll love it so much you’ll want to drizzle it on everything!

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Bom Apetite!!

More recipes with quinoa you’ll love: Roasted Acorn Salad

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Large bowl
• Mason jar
• Tongs or wooden spoon
• Meal prep glass containers

You’ll need to grab the following ingredients at your grocery store:

• Quinoa — any type of quinoa will do. Tricolor, red or white all work here.
• Black beans — I tend to use 1.5 cups of my vegan black beans, but drained canned beans work great, as well.
• Red onion — it adds such a great flavor (and color) to the dish! Shallots work, as well, if you prefer those.
• Grated carrots — I prefer freshly grated carrots because they absorb more of the dressing, but if you want to use pre-shredded carrots, that’s OK, too.
• Pitted green olives — these add texture and a great tangy and salty flavor.
• Hearts of palm — these provide that little ooompf every salad needs! If you haven’t tried them yet, this is your chance! You can find canned or jarred hearts of palm in most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, artichoke hearts are an acceptable swap. You can also omit them completely (although, you’d be missing out!)
• Arugula — while you could choose any salad green, arugula has a lightly spicy flavor that goes so well with everything in this dish. Plus, it’s my absolute favorite!

How to make Quinoa Arugula Salad

Make the dressing. Combine the garlic, the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, spices, salt and pepper in a mason jar. Cover and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Set aside.

Make the salad. Mix the cooked quinoa with the black beans, diced red onion, shaved carrots, and minced olives in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Pour on the dressing. Add the hearts of palm, too. Gently toss to combine.

Add the arugula. Give it a toss, then serve immediately.

How to store:

This recipe is easy to make ahead of time for the week. It will last for about a week in the refrigerator!

However, it’s important how you combine and store the ingredients so things do not get soggy.

Here’s what to do:

• Mix everything EXCEPT for the arugula.
• Keep the dressed quinoa mixture in a mason jar or a food storage container in the fridge.
• Mix the arugula in just before serving. (This will keep it nice and fresh.)

Quick tips and tricks for the best quinoa salad:

Make the dressing first. Or while the quinoa cooks. Then…

Dress the quinoa while it’s still warm. This will ensure the quinoa soaks in all the dressing, infusing it with flavor!

Make ahead. This is a great recipe for making on Sunday to use for lunches throughout the week! Just mix all the ingredients, except for the arugula. Then keep the dressed quinoa mixture in a Tupperware in the refrigerator and mix in the arugula just before serving. This will keep the leaves from wilting and keep your salad fresh.

Other salads you’ll love:

If you love herby cilantro chimichurri, you’re gonna adore this Chimichurri Salad! Top it with Seared Salmon or Pan Seared Chicken Breasts.

This Salpicao de Frango – Brazilian Chicken Salad is a Brazilian classic!

Love fruit in salads? This Pear Salad recipe with Port wine dressing has an awesome mixture of textures and flavors.

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