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This tricolor Quinoa Salad with pomegranate, walnuts and feta is bursting with flavor, texture and color and will delight both your senses and taste buds.
I must confess that I avoid food fads, or any fads for that matter, like the plague. That includes ‘superfoods’ like quinoa, chia and matcha…
When I finally cooked and ate this quinoa pomegranate salad I found to my utter amazement that I loved it. Subsequent exposure to a variety of Peruvian dishes containing quinoa made me realize how versatile a grain quinoa is.
I had been pondering what to do with my packet of Tricolor quinoa and this quinoa feta pomegranate salad with walnuts and mediteranean flavors turned out to be the perfect light lunch or dinner.
I made two portions, in the hope that I could persuade my friend at work to join me, since she is a diagnosed diabetic. However, I had forgotten that she had the day off 🙁 Another colleague came into my office while I was having lunch and had a taste.
She loved it so much she asked me to bring the second portion of tricolor quinoa salad with pomegranate for her lunch the following day! I was thrilled that she loved it as much as I did!
Top tips for making tricolor quinoa salad with pomegranate
- Pre-soak the quinoa seeds in hot water for 5 minutes to remove the bitter taste and smell.
- Rinse it thoroughly (3 times) until the water runs clear.
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions, in vegetable stock instead of unseasoned water, to give it more flavor.
- Add the dressing to the warm cooked quinoa to help it absorb the flavors.
- Quinoa is very versatile and you can swap out the pomegranate, walnut and feta with chicken for a quinoa chicken salad.
- A lovely vegan option is quinoa salad with avocado, cranberries and spinach.
- If you don’t like sweetness then quinoa salad with vegetables (grilled or raw) is a good option too.
If tricolor quinoa salad with pomegranate, walnuts and feta is not your thing why don’t you check out these other summer salads.
- Crayfish salad with avocado, red cabbage and cucumber,
- Chicken salad with cherry tomatoes, olives and artichokes
- Ultimate Summer Salad
Tricolor quinoa salad with pomegranate, walnuts and feta
Ingredients
- 120 grams tricolor quinoa seeds approximately 2/3 cup, covered and soaked in hot water for 5 minutes
- 250 ml vegetable stock water or stock per the package instructions for cooking
- 1 lemon grated rind and juice as required below
- 15 ml pomegranate molasses
- 15 ml chili infused olive oil
- 5 ml lemon juice
- 250 ml salad leaves
- 2 small cucumbers mine were approximately 12 cm long
- 60 ml chopped spring onions
- 60 ml chopped parsley
- 60 ml coriander leaves torn
- 60 ml mint leaves torn
- 125 ml pomegranate seeds
- 125 ml toasted walnuts chopped or roughly broken up
- 50 grams feta drained and crumbled
Instructions
- Place the quinoa in a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for at least 5 minutes.
- Rinse at least three times and drain the water.
- Place the rinsed quinoa in small pot and cook in at least one cup of hot stock or hot water according to the package instructions.
- When the quinoa is cooked, drain any water remaining in the pot and allow it to sit in the hot pot for about 15 minutes to fluff up.
- Add the grated lemon rind, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and lemon juice to the warm quinoa and stir thoroughly to coat.
- Allow to cool completely before adding slice cucumbers, spring onions, parsley, mint and coriander.
- Mix together and add more lemon juice if required.
- Add two thirds of the pomegranate seeds, walnuts and feta and toss lightly to combine without smashing everything.
- Spoon the salad into a bowl and decorate with remaining pomegranate seeds, walnuts and feta and chill until required.
Notes
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
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This was first published on 16/11/2015 has since and been updated.
32 Comments
Nammi
July 23, 2016 at 2:15 pmlooks so nice and light. I love pomergranates yummm.
Razena Schroeder
July 23, 2016 at 4:25 pmIt is lovely and light to eat but actually very filling 🙂
Igor @ Cooking The Globe
July 22, 2016 at 1:49 amThis salad looks fantastic. I am pretty sure it tastes as good as it looks!
Razena Schroeder
July 22, 2016 at 10:46 pmThanks for your kind words. It does taste pretty amazing, and that was not my opinion but a fellow eater 🙂
Florentina
July 22, 2016 at 1:01 amSuch a pretty salad, can’t wait for pomegranate season. Thank you for more quinoa inspiration, love that little seed.
Razena Schroeder
July 22, 2016 at 10:45 pmWe are fortunate to get pomegranates all year round, and it just perks up this salad 🙂
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
July 21, 2016 at 10:52 pmHehe – I said the same thing about quinoa – food fad, no thanks. That being said – I LOVE quinoa. I never did get into matcha or chia. Maybe some day.
Tri color quinoa is SO pretty – love what you did with it here.
Razena Schroeder
July 21, 2016 at 10:55 pmSometimes I think I’m too stubborn for my own good, but I’m glad I relented and tried it 🙂
Diana
July 21, 2016 at 10:50 pmSuch a lovely summer salad! I love feta, and pomegranate seeds can always brighten up any dish 🙂
Razena Schroeder
July 21, 2016 at 10:56 pmI love the contrasting flavours and textures of the soft feta with the crunchy walnuts; and the sweetness of the pomegranate arils.
Lindsey | Lou Lou Biscuit
March 3, 2016 at 5:57 amWhat a gorgeous salad! So full of vibrant colors and spices. Well done!
Razena Schroeder
March 3, 2016 at 9:04 amI was a bit doubtful about using quinoa but ended up loving it after making this!
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal
November 22, 2015 at 8:02 amIf I took this to work I’d be watching the clock until lunch time! I love some of the wintery flavors you included. Perfect for this time of year!
Razena Schroeder
November 22, 2015 at 8:10 amHaha… actually I was watching the clock until lunch time, but it was worth the wait 🙂
Neli @ Delicious Meets Healthy
November 22, 2015 at 1:00 amWow, delicious!! This would make a great side dish for Thanksgiving!!
Razena Schroeder
November 22, 2015 at 8:05 amI hope you try it and let me know what you think 🙂
Claudia ! Gourmet Project
November 20, 2015 at 4:45 pmpomegranate and feta sound so perfect toghether!
Razena Schroeder
November 20, 2015 at 9:13 pmYou should try it. The sweet and salty combination is so delicious 🙂
LydiaF
November 19, 2015 at 6:21 pmHow pretty this is with the pomegranates and walnuts. Love the flavors, too 🙂
Razena Schroeder
November 19, 2015 at 10:14 pmThank you, it was delicious too 🙂
Choclette
November 19, 2015 at 3:12 pmYour salad looks just gorgeous. I a big quinoa fan and I have totally fallen in love with that bowl 😉
Razena Schroeder
November 19, 2015 at 5:28 pmThank you 🙂 I regret not trying quinoa sooner since I love it so much now 🙁
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
November 19, 2015 at 11:28 amSimple but packed with flavour – my kind of salad.
Razena Schroeder
November 19, 2015 at 1:52 pmI like things that are simple and easy to prepare since I don’t have the time to fuss around in the morning before leaving for work. With the pre-cooked quinoa it literally didn’t take more than 10 minutes to throw it together.
Ali @ Home & Plate
November 19, 2015 at 1:23 amI am still trying to lean to love quinoa. This salad has all the right flavors to make that happen. Love the crunch of the walnuts with the sweet of the pomegranate and salty from the feta.
Razena Schroeder
November 19, 2015 at 1:56 pmI avoided quinoa like the scourge since it came on the market as the new superfood, simply because of all the fuss everyone was making! I only bought it because of a conversation last month with the servers at the deli counter at my supermarket who implored me to taste their new salad creations. I thought it was a bit bland to be honest, but decided to try it for myself before making any judgements. I’m glad I did 🙂
Sarah
November 18, 2015 at 5:55 pmSuch a beautiful salad! The texture in this would be amazing, not to mention the flavor combos going on sound fantastic!
Razena Schroeder
November 18, 2015 at 5:59 pmThank you for your kind words. I must admit I do love the crunch of walnuts 🙂
Kathryn Doherty
November 17, 2015 at 11:40 pmWhat a beautiful salad! I love quinoa and I love that you added pomegranates and walnuts and feta – what great flavors to really make this a meal! I can see why everyone was asking for leftovers – I want some for my lunch, too! Yum!!
Razena Schroeder
November 18, 2015 at 8:51 amThank you for your kind words. I love the combination of the sweet pomegranate and salty feta with the crunch of the walnuts. It gave some texture and additional flavor and color to a seed that can pretty much take on any flavor.
Kelly Hutchinson
November 17, 2015 at 11:19 pmI need to learn to make quinoa properly. The only time I made it, it was awful.
Razena Schroeder
November 18, 2015 at 8:50 amI was concerned about the same thing and originally followed the package instructions exactly. However, I found that it had a slightly bitter aftertaste even though it was lovely and crunchy. I decided to cook the quinoa the same as I do rice. Soak in warm water first, in this case for 5 minutes, and rinse until the water runs clear. Then cook according to the package instructions 🙂