Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad is a clean eating salad with quinoa and loads of everyday vegetables in a simple white balsamic vinaigrette. You can substitute vegetables to your liking! Meal prep this chopped salad recipe for the healthiest, weekday lunch.

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad

How do produce hoarders make the most of farmer’s market hauls and grocery store trips that get out of hand?

They make GIANT salads that last all week, just like this chopped salad. And by they, I mean me…and possibly you? Wink, wink.

This chopped salad recipe calls for TONS of everyday, raw vegetables that are available anytime, but are especially delish during summer months!

A salad like this is simple, nutritious, and super budget-friendly, for both money and time.

The meal prep salad movement

Do you meal prep your lunches for the work week?

We do it on the regular and it always makes our busy week go smoother.

One GIANT salad for lunch 3-4 days of the week is nutritious, affordable, and makes you feel great!

How to meal prep chopped salad

Step 1: Cook the quinoa and refrigerate it until ready to use.

Step 2: Wash and chop all the produce and assemble individual salads into meal prep containers.

Step 3: Make the vinaigrette, portion it into dressing containers, and pack one container into each salad.

I use these 8oz canning jars or these bpa-free plastic containers for the salad dressing.

Step 4: When you’re ready to eat your salad, dress it…and devour!

How to keep salad fresh (especially for meal prep)

Tip #1. Start with really really fresh lettuce. Don’t meal prep a bunch of salads using lettuce you bought 3 days ago. This might seem like a no-brainer, but trust me, the produce freshness clock ticks faster than you might think, especially with lettuce.

Leafy greens include things like arugula, spring mix, red or green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, and kale, to name a few common greens.

Most greens, once dressed, need to be eaten immediately before they wilt, which makes them look and taste unpleasant.

Tip #2. Store salad components separate until you’re ready to serve the salad. So, for this chopped salad recipe, store the arugula, quinoa, chopped vegetables, and vinaigrette in separate containers (or in separate piles in one container).

Tip #3. Don’t dress the salad until it’s time to eat. This is the rule for most salads, most of the time.

So, when you’re ready to serve, simply toss everything together, dress it, and dish it up.

What I love about this chopped salad recipe

• uses everyday, raw vegetables packed with fiber and nutrients
• perfect summer salad to take to parties
• puts protein-packed quinoa to really good use
• naturally vegan and gluten-free
• save money by not buying pre-packaged salad entrees
• no thinking about what’s for lunch this week

My friend Dave, known for making big, fat, killer salads for every party, made a garden quinoa vegetable salad for a July 4th party this summer.

It was such a hit and I could NOT stop eating it, so naturally, I created one for the blog.

Thanks for the inspiration, Dave!

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad Ingredients

For the salad:

• cooked quinoa
• carrot
• bell pepper
• cucumber
• arugula
• cherry tomatoes
• corn (fresh or frozen)
• pumpkin seeds (or any nuts)

For the white balsamic vinaigrette:

• white balsamic vinegar
• lemon juice
• fresh garlic
• maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice)
• salt and pepper

Kitchen tools I use for this recipe:

• chef knife
• cutting board
• salad spinner (to wash leafy produce)
• microplane fine grater (to grate garlic)
• whisk or fork
• measuring cups
• large bowl
• salad containers
• salad dressing containers

More easy, healthy, vegan recipes

The Vegan Veggie Sandwich Even Meat Eaters Love

Veggie Quinoa Banh Mi Bowl

Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Lemony Kale Chickpea Avocado Salad

Print REcipe

5 from 11 votes

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad is a clean eating salad with quinoa and loads of everyday vegetables in a simple white balsamic vinaigrette. You can substitute vegetables to your liking! Meal prep this chopped salad recipe for the healthiest, weekday lunch.

Course Lunch, Meal Prep, Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8 1-cup servings

Calories 223kcal

Author Traci Antonovich

Ingredients

For the quinoa

• 2 cups Water
• 1 cup dry Quinoa
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

For the chopped salad

• 1 medium Carrot chopped
• 1/2 large Bell Pepper chopped
• 1 medium Cucumber chopped
• 2 cups Arugula
• 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
• 1 cup Corn
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds

For the white balsamic vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 clove Garlic finely grated
• 1 tsp Maple Syrup or liquid sweetener of choice
• 1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the quinoa

• Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
• Allow to cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the chopped salad

• In a large salad bowl, combine QUINOA, CARROTS, BELL PEPPERS, CUCUMBER, ARUGULA, TOMATOES, CORN, and PUMPKIN SEEDS; toss to combine; refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the white balsamic vinaigrette

• In a mixing bowl or glass, whisk together VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE, GARLIC, MAPLE SYRUP, SALT, and PEPPER.
• Slowly drizzle in EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, continuously whisking to emulsify into creamy dressing; refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Storage Tip: Keep components separate (quinoa, leafy greens, vegetables, dressing) until ready to serve.

RECIPE NOTES

Yield: 8 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, and are estimates based on unbranded ingredients acquired from a nutrition database. For accurate calculations, please refer to brand packaging information and consult your nutritionist.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Veggie Quinoa Chopped Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 223 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Sodium 125mg5%

Potassium 342mg10%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 6g12%

Vitamin A 1875IU38%

Vitamin C 20.5mg25%

Calcium 32mg3%

Iron 1.8mg10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Traci Antonovich

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.

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