Easy Quinoa Arugula Salad with Feta Cheese and Pine Nuts

Why You’ll Love This Salad

Easy to Meal Prep. This delicious salad can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a quick and healthy meal option throughout the week. Preparing the salad involves cooking the quinoa and tossing it with the arugula, vegetables, and a simple dressing.

Versatile. One of the great things about this quinoa arugula salad is that it can be customized to suit individual tastes and preferences. All of the ingredients in this cold quinoa salad, including the quinoa, are up for grabs! Start with my recipe outline and make it your own!

Nutritious and Delicious. Of course, as a dietitian, I’m going to sell you on the health virtues of this delicious quinoa salad. Wink, wink. Nutty quinoa is a complete protein source, containing all nine essential amino acids. Other nutrition superstars in this easy salad include spicy arugula, one of my favorite leafy greens, frozen green peas, onions, pine nuts, and anti-inflammatory-rich extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients & Substitutions for Quinoa Arugula Salad

Quinoa. I use white quinoa in this salad because I like how it looks with the red onion and green arugula (silly, right?). But feel free to use black or red quinoa instead. As I mentioned above, if you’re not a fan of quinoa, this salad would be equally delicious with rice, sorghum, buckwheat, fonio, or any other whole grain.

Baby Arugula. I’ve made this salad with baby spinach, which is quite tasty. Finely chopped peppery green kale would be delicious and nutritious, too.

Frozen Green Peas. I add them frozen to the hot quinoa for additional plant-based protein. Other protein additions to try include garbanzo beans, lentils, edamame, or crispy chickpeas. Yum! 

Red Onion. Feel free to omit this (and the green peas) if you’re following a low FODMAP diet. If not, the raw onion adds a lot of flavor to this quinoa arugula salad recipe. 

Pine Nuts. Every quinoa salad needs a little crunch, IMO. Pine nuts are a go-to in many of my gluten-free salad recipes. With a hint of sweetness, they’re the perfect complement to savory ingredients. I know they are pricey. I buy a big bag at Costco to keep in the freezer. Trader Joe’s is a good place to buy them as well. Feel free to swap the pine nuts with sunflower seeds, crunchy almonds, 

Feta Cheese. Isn’t everything betta’ with feta? Insert hand raise emoji! But I get it if you don’t love feta as much as I do. Tangy, creamy goat cheese would be divine in this recipe too! Or, omit the cheese altogether for an equally delicious vegan salad.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Following an anti-inflammatory diet? You’ll want to keep a high-quality EVOO on hand. Some of my favorites include Kosterina, Amphora Nueva (high polyphenols)

White Balsamic Vinegar. If you’ve made any of my salad recipes or my easy homemade vinaigrette, you know that I’m a fan of white balsamic vinegar. It’s the perfect combination of tart and ever-so-slightly sweet. For a different taste, try apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice, or rice wine vinegar. 

Salt and Black Pepper. These are the only seasonings I use, but you might want to top your salad dressing off with garlic powder, chopped fresh mint or oregano, maple syrup, or Dijon mustard

Optional Add-Ins. As I mentioned earlier, my family and I LOVE this salad as is. But I bet some of these Mediterranean-diet-inspired ingredients would add fabulous flavor, too! Try sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy sugar snap peas, colorful bell pepper, or kalamata olives.

How to Make Quinoa Arugula Salad

1. Rinse your uncooked quinoa (a must, IMO, to reduce any bitterness). Add it to a saucepan with water, cook over high heat until boiling, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is evaporated and you have fluffy quinoa.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare your other salad ingredients. Finely chop the red onion and lightly chop the arugula. If you don’t already have a batch on hand, make the vinaigrette in a mason jar.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, top with dressing to taste, and toss to create the perfect salad!
4. Serve warm or allow to cool to room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

Serving Suggestions

1. Enjoy it as your main dish with some fresh fruit on the side.
2. Pair it with bunless turkey or veggie burgers.
3. Serve it as a side salad with wild pan-seared salmon, rotisserie chicken, or your favorite protein.
4. Try quinoa arugula salad mezze style with a selection of other small Mediterranean diet-inspired ingredients and dishes, such as hummus, gluten-free crackers (I love these Simple Mills crackers), olives, nuts, and fresh fruit.