Lemon Quinoa Chickpea Salad
A vibrant, fresh, and easy-to-make salad that’s perfect for a quick lunch, potluck, or healthy meal prep. It’s packed with flavor and nutrients, making it a versatile go-to recipe.
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1.75 cups water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1.5 cups cucumber (quartered and thinly sliced)
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
- 0.75 cup carrots (diced small)
- 0.5 cup scallions (thinly sliced)
- 0.5 cup parsley (chopped)
- 2 lemons lemon juice (juice of 2-3 lemons)
- 0 red pepper flakes (optional)
- 0 to taste mineral salt
- 0 to taste fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Rinse your quinoa under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve.
- In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed quinoa, water, and garlic powder. Stir.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
- Remove from heat, fluff quinoa with a fork, and spread on a plate or baking sheet to cool completely.
- While quinoa cools, chop bell pepper, slice cucumber, halve tomatoes, dice carrots, and slice scallions.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, drained chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, grape tomatoes, carrots, and scallions.
- Add chopped parsley to the bowl.
- Squeeze lemon juice (start with 2 lemons, add more to taste) over the salad.
- Add red pepper flakes (if using), salt, and pepper to taste.
- Gently toss all ingredients together to coat with the lemon dressing.
- Serve immediately or chill for flavors to meld.
Notes
This salad is naturally vegan and holds up well for meal prep, staying fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Flavors improve as they sit. For best results, ensure quinoa is fully cooled before mixing.