Watermelon Quinoa Salad
This refreshing watermelon quinoa salad recipe is meant for hot summer days! Dig into a savory, sweet summer fresh salad! Quick and easy to make in 20 minutes!
Servings: 6
Calories: 160kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 cups cooked red quinoa or an color quinoa
- ½ cup pickled red onions or raw red onions, sliced thin
- 1 English cucumber seeds removed and diced
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- ¼ cup balsamic glaze + more for drizzling or balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ cup mint leaves added as garnish
- ½ teaspoons salt
Optional
- ½ cup tofu feta cheese or white beans drained
Instructions
Quinoa
- Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions.
- Allow the quinoa to cool completely while preparing the other ingredients.
Pickled Onions
- Prepare pickled onions a day ahead of time so they have time to absorb the brine in the refrigerator.
- Remove ½ cup of pickled onions and place on a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Assembling the Salad
- Place all the ingredients, except for the mint leaves in a large bowl.
- Toss together.
- Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To serve, stir and add mint leaves as a garnish.
- Sprinkle with tofu feta if using, or consider adding white beans.
- Drizzle with additional balsamic glaze.
Notes
- Do not cut the watermelon until you are ready to make the salad.
- Use seedless watermelon when adding watermelon to salads.
- Quinoa only takes 15 minutes to cook, but it needs to cool completely before combining with the other salad ingredients.
- If purchasing balsamic glaze, not all balsamic glaze is vegan. Some contain honey.
- Add lime zest for even more flavor.
- Include tofu feta cheese, grilled tofu, or white beans for added protein.
- Serve with toasted crusty bread.
- Make this salad a day ahead so the flavors develop.
- Drizzle with additional balsamic glaze for more flavor.
- The salad will stay fresh for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 725IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2mg