BLT Avocado Quinoa Salad (Quick & Easy Family Meal!)
If you love bold flavors and nourishing ingredients in one bowl, this BLT avocado quinoa salad is about to become your new favorite! Think crispy bacon, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, spinach (a little bit of the green stuff never hurts!), and fluffy quinoa, all tossed with a tangy-sweet maple vinaigrette.
Why You’ll Love This BLT Avocado Quinoa Salad Recipe
Simple Ingredients
How to Make BLT Avocado Quinoa Salad (So Easy!)
- Cook your quinoa. Or use pre-cooked frozen quinoa for a super speedy meal.
- Cook the bacon. I cook mine in a microwave. Layer slices between parchment paper in a glass baking dish and cook on high until desired crispiness is achieved.
- Make the dressing. Combine olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Stir or shake well to combine.
- Prep the veggies. Chop the spinach, cut the tomatoes in half, remove the skin and pit from the avocado, and chop.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing or serving bowl. Serve warm-my favorite! If you want to prep the BLT avocado quinoa salad ahead of time and serve it cold, wait until serving to add the fresh avocado.
Dietitian Nutrition Notes
- Approximately 670 calories per main dish serving.
- Good source of plant-based protein (17 grams) and fiber (7 grams). Add this recipe to your EAT MORE PLANTS collection!
- Healthy fats from avocado and extra virgin olive oil. This recipe is higher in saturated fat than most of my recipes. Swap the bacon with turkey bacon or plant-based tempeh bacon for a lower-saturated-fat version.
- Blood sugar balancing meal with a combo of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates.
- The recipe is gluten free, quick and easy, with a low FODMAP option.
See the recipes card for full nutrition information.
Substitutions and Add-Ins
- Make it veggie-forward: Swap bacon for crispy chickpeas, tempeh bacon, or smoked almonds.
- Swap your greens: Use kale, arugula, mixed greens, or romaine.
- Use different grains: Try fonio, brown rice, buckwheat, or sorghum as a substitute for quinoa.
- Extra add-ins: Feta or goat cheese, pine nuts, corn, fresh herbs like basil, oregano, or thyme.
BLT Avocado Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Are you ready to simplify your dinner routine? This quick and easy BLT and Avocado Quinoa Salad with Maple Vinaigrette is a crowd pleaser and family favorite!
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinse before serving
- 3 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 10 ounces bacon, cooked
- 1 large avocado, chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and 3 cups of water in a medium pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for ~15 to 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
- Cook the bacon while the quinoa is cooking. Layer the bacon between parchment paper, in a microwave safe glass dish. Cook on high until crisp (approximately 8 minutes) Cool and chop into small pieces.
- Make the dressing. Coming the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or mason jar. Stir or shake (with a lid) until the ingredients are well combined.
- Prep the remaning ingredients. Lightly cohp the spinach and cut the tomatoes in half. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and skin, and chop the avocado.
- Assemble the salad. Place the cooked quinoa is a large mixing bowl or serving dish. Add the bacon, spinach, tomato, and avocadol Top with the dressing and stir well to combine.
- Serve warm immediately, or may be made ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator, then served cold. Tip! If making the salad ahead of time, add the avocado reight before serving.
Notes
Low FODMAP Option. Decrease the amount of cherry tomatoes to tolerance OR use regular tomatoes instead, which are lower in FODMAPs.
Time Saving Option. Swap the dry quinoa with frozen, pre-cooked quinoa. Heat it in the microwave before adding it to the salad.
Substitutions and Add-Ins:
- For a lower-saturated-fat version, use turkey bacon or plant-based tempeh bacon. Or, add crispy chickpeas or lentils in place of the bacon.
- Swap the quinoa with fonio, sorghum, brown rice, or buckwheat.
- Add romaine lettuce, kale or arugula in place of baby spinach.
- Add-ins: Feta or goat cheese, pine nuts, corn, fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 649mg | Potassium: 933mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2580IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 4mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love if you’d leave a rating or review below! Your feedback helps others find new favorite recipes! And, please post a pic and mention @thespicyrd or tag #thespicyrd on Instagram. Thank you!
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Tips & Serving Ideas
- Meal prep pro tip: Cook quinoa + bacon on Sunday, prep mix-ins, and store separately. Dress and assemble just before eating.
- Texture highlight: Serve immediately for creamier avocados, or stir gently before enjoying if chilled to maintain avocado integrity.
- Flavor boost: Toast quinoa before cooking for extra nuttiness, or fold in a bit of chopped fresh herbs for summer brightness.
- Batch and freeze: Store extra quinoa in the freezer for quick, future bowls; thaw and enjoy.
5 More Quick & Easy Family Favorite Meals
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I love this- simple, delicious and classic! I can imagine Mr CEO would enjoy this too! I would say the topic of convo lately has to be our Spartan Beast and the Hawaii trip! We are counting down the days!! 🙂
Thanks so much Liz-This salad makes a regular rotation in our dinner round-up!I wish we could say we were eating it for our Spartan training calories, but, sigh…, I’m just working on getting my 10,000 steps in these days 🙂 I’m so excited for you and Mr. CEO to go to Hawaii!!
I’m such a quinoa fan, and love the red quinoa I can find at Trader Joes. This looks like the perfect protein packed work day lunch.
I need to try and find the red quinoa at Trader Joes-yum! Hope you enjoy the salad as much as I do 🙂
Great salad! My son said it was the best thing he ever ate. I’ll be making it for school lunches
Hi Betsy! I’m so happy to hear your son enjoyed the salad 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know!!
Great recipe for busy times! Love all the flavors there are, yet only 9 ingredients!
Thanks so much Andrea! The flavors/ingredients are super simple, but they work together really well 🙂 Happy back-to-school to you and your family!
I loved this theme for same reason…we were ready to get back to a good dinner routine (or at least I was!). What a beautiful quinoa salad, so fresh and summery still but perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Love it!
Happy back-to-school to your kiddos Aggie! Mine go tomorrow. I am counting down the minutes 🙂 LOVE your Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Pork Tacos and can’t wait to make them this week!
I love the sound of this – that maple vinaigrette is perfect!
Thanks Jeanette! I love the maple vinaigrette too 🙂
I love how refreshing this salad sounds! That maple vinaigrette has my name all over it 😉
Thanks so much Genevieve! The hint of sweetness in the dressing from the maple syrup, adds the perfect touch IMO 🙂
What a great “redux” on the classic! Love it!
Thanks so much Rebecca!! One of my other favorite childhood “classics” was Tuna Noodle Casserole 🙂