High Protein Quinoa Chickpea Salad (Print Version)

A vibrant Mediterranean-style salad with fluffy quinoa, chickpeas, fresh vegetables, and creamy feta. Ready in just 25 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Grains & Legumes

01 - 1 cup quinoa
02 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables & Herbs

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 cucumber, diced
05 - ½ cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

→ Dairy

06 - ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

→ Dressing

07 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
09 - Salt and pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Rinse quinoa thoroughly under cold running water. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with 2 cups water or vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
02 - While quinoa cooks, halve cherry tomatoes, dice cucumber, and chop fresh herbs.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled quinoa, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chopped herbs, and crumbled feta cheese.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
05 - Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately, or chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes for enhanced flavor.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It keeps you full for hours without that heavy, sluggish feeling most lunches leave behind.
  • Every bite has texture contrast, from the crisp cucumber to the creamy feta to the tender quinoa.
  • You can make it Sunday night and pack it all week, and it somehow tastes better on day three.
  • It looks so colorful and impressive that people always ask for the recipe at potlucks.
02 -
  • Do not skip rinsing the quinoa, I learned this the hard way when my first batch tasted weirdly soapy and I could not figure out why.
  • Let the quinoa cool completely before adding the feta, or the cheese will melt into a greasy mess instead of staying in nice crumbly bites.
  • Taste the dressing before you pour it on, because lemon juice varies in tartness and you might need a touch more oil or a pinch of honey to balance it.
03 -
  • Toast the chickpeas in a dry skillet for a few minutes before adding them to the salad for a nutty, roasted flavor and extra crunch.
  • Use vegetable broth instead of water to cook the quinoa, and it will soak up so much more flavor from the start.
  • Add a pinch of cumin or smoked paprika to the dressing for a warm, earthy depth that makes the salad taste more complex.
  • If your feta is too salty, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes before crumbling, and it will mellow out perfectly.
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