It takes just 10 minutes to make this healthy Italian Quinoa Salad that’s full of nutritious quinoa, white beans, artichokes, tomatoes, and basil. Enjoy sweet summer flavors with minimal prep time for a healthy lunch or healthy side dish. Plus, it’s made with mostly pantry staples!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free

Happy Memorial Day!

I just want to take a minute before diving fork-first into this heavenly Italian Quinoa Salad to call attention to what this weekend is about (yes, more than an extra day off from work and the unofficial start to summer!)…THANK YOU to those who served and still serve to keep our country safe, and your families!

Now to this Italian Quinoa Salad…

This recipe totally happened by accident. I’m going to keep this quick because well, SUNSHINE, but this salad was totally not planned. But those are the best sometimes, am I right?

You see, I hadn’t been food shopping in a while because of finals and I got hungry while studying (obvsss) and didn’t want to run out and ruin my groove (ya know?!), so I threw together a bunch of stuff I had lying around — marinated artichokes, roasted bell peppers, quinoa, white beans, some fresh tomatoes and bell peppers — and voila, lunch was served!

Sometimes I just have to switch it up from my typical Greek Quinoa Salad that I eat nearly every day. 100% creature of habit…and now that habit may become this Italian Quinoa Salad!

Sometimes I surprise myself.

In went the roasted bell pepper (jarred, in water), the marinated artichokes ((YUM-O)), and canned white cannelloni beans. I didn’t even need much of a dressing because the artichokes packed so much flavor. I combined this all with some fresh chopped tomato, bell pepper, and HERBS.

Let’s talk herbs for a quick sec. They literally make the world go round. If you’re heating up a ((boring)) prepared/frozen/store bought meal, add some herbs and BAM…new dish! So don’t neglect the fresh parsley and basil here, plus some dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure some black or green olives would go well in here, but I didn’t have any around. But if I was to make this for entertaining, I’d totally throw a few sliced black olives in there!

Annnndd back to the pool….

10-Minute Italian Quinoa Salad with White Beans Just 10 minutes to this tasty and nutritious Italian Quinoa Salad…the perfect side dish or lunch for summer BBQs and your weekly food prep rotation! Vegan, gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, meat free, plant based. Author: Chelsey

Yield: 4 1 x

Category: Side dish, Lunch, Gluten free, Vegan Scale 1x 2x 3x Ingredients 1 cup quinoa, cooked

quinoa, cooked ½ cup small white cannelloni beans

small white cannelloni beans ¼ cup yellow onion, finely chopped

yellow onion, finely chopped 1 roasted bell pepper, chopped

roasted bell pepper, chopped ½ cup marinated artichokes*, halved

marinated artichokes*, halved ¼ cup fresh bell pepper, chopped

fresh bell pepper, chopped 1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

medium Roma tomato, chopped ½ teaspoon lemon zest Spices and Herbs: 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

fresh parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

fresh basil, chopped Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic

granulated garlic ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

dried oregano Optional: ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes Note: If you don’t use marinated artichokes, be sure to add ½-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, a generous dash of sea salt, and increase the oregano to ½ teaspoon! Instructions Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. In a medium-sized bowl combine all ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and adjust spices to taste. Optional: If time allows, refrigerate for about 30 minutes to really let flavors meld. Enjoy!

Don’t Forget to PIN IT…

SO simple (and meat-free!)!

XO

Looking for more quick, nutritious, and delicious recipes? Get your copy of Thrive in 5, my collection of 50 recipes you can make in 20 minutes or less, with just 5 ingredients each!