Italian
Quinoa Salad with Vegetables and Feta
by Chef Max Mariola · 1.1M subscribers on YouTube
A fresh and complete vegetarian quinoa salad with colorful vegetables, feta cheese, and a lemony herb dressing. Perfect for a light summer lunch.
- Difficulty
- easy
Ingredients
14 items- QuinoaUse a mix of black, white, and red quinoa
- Courgettes (Trombetta or Roman)Use sweet varieties like trombetta or Roman courgettes
- Yellow Bell Pepper
- Red Bell Pepper
- Tropea Red Onion(optional) — Tropea onion recommended; you can omit if desired
- Cherry Tomatoes (Datterino and Torpedino)Use a mix of small tomato varieties
- Feta CheeseCrumble with your hands before adding
- Fresh BasilTorn by hand, used in dressing and garnish
- Fresh MintTorn by hand, used in dressing and garnish
- Lemon JuiceFreshly squeezed
- Extra Virgin Olive OilGood quality, used for cooking and dressing
- Dried OreganoPreferably in bunches
- SaltTo taste; be careful because feta is already salty
- Black PepperFreshly ground
Method
- Cook the quinoa in boiling salted water for 10–15 minutes until tender but still al dente. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer and let cool.
- In a large pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté the sliced red onion until softened.
- Add the diced yellow and red bell peppers and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the sliced courgettes, a pinch of salt, and a few basil leaves. Cook on high heat for about 2 minutes, until slightly charred but still crunchy. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, and torn fresh basil and mint leaves.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top the quinoa with the cooked vegetables, halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese.
- Garnish with additional basil and mint leaves. Mix everything well before serving and enjoy at room temperature.
Chef Max Mariola
Professional chefReviewer1.1M subscribers on YouTube402.7M total channel viewsChef italiano. Ricette cucinate a casa, focus completo sulle ricette.


