Do you know what is a refrigerator salad? It’s a salad that holds up well to refrigeration and a meal prepper’s best friend. One of the refrigerator salads I make during summer is this quinoa salad with lemony artichoke.
This lemony artichoke and quinoa salad is basically a summer version of the Spanish chickpeas and rice. It’s a little lighter, brighter and served cold.
Now, let’s find out how to make quinoa salad with lemony artichoke in this article of Apronese!
Substitution and Add-In Options
This salad is super versatile, so here are some other ingredients that would go well in this salad:
- Couscous or orzo in place of the quinoa
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes (diced or grape tomatoes cut in half)
- Feta
- Roasted red peppers
- Red onion
- Top with a dollop of hummus
How to Serve Lemony Artichoke and Quinoa Salad?
This dish can be a vegetarian/vegan main dish with a large serving size of 2 cups, but it can also be served as a side dish for any other meal.
This would make a great base for a bowl meal or could be stuffed into a pita as a sort of sandwich.
How Long Does This Salad Keep?
This quinoa salad with lemony artichoke is very sturdy, so it’s good for about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
I think this one would also freeze well. I find frozen foods like this are usually best if eaten within three months.
How to Make Quinoa Salad with Lemony Artichoke?
This salad is a light and refreshing that holds up well in the refrigerator and is perfect for meal prep.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 20 mins / Cook Time: 20 mins / Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 4 (2 cups each)
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa ($1.20)
- 1 fresh lemon ($0.37)
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.48)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 1 13oz. can quartered artichoke hearts ($2.59)
- 1 red bell pepper ($1.00)
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley ($0.35)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.49)
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa well in a fine wire mesh sieve. Place the rinsed quinoa in a pot with 1.75 cups water. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat on to high, and allow the water to come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes (lid on).
- While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing. Zest the lemon, then squeeze the juice (you’ll need 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice). Add the lemon juice and 1 tsp of the zest to a bowl or jar along with the olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Whisk the ingredients together or close the jar and shake until they are combined. Set the dressing aside.
- After the quinoa has cooked, spread it out into a casserole dish or other wide shallow dish and refrigerate uncovered for about 15 minutes to cool it down.
- While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. Drain the artichoke hearts and roughly chop them into smaller pieces. Finely dice the red bell pepper. Roughly chop the parsley. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place the artichoke hearts, bell pepper, parsley, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
- Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to the bowl with the other salad ingredients. Toss gently to combine, then drizzle the lemon garlic dressing over top. Gently toss again until everything is coated in dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4-5 days.
You can use artichoke hearts in water or oil, with or without herbs.
Nutrition
Serving: 2 Cups ・ Calories: 447.13 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 51.13 g ・ Protein: 15.85 g ・ Fat: 24.13 g ・ Sodium: 1276.3 mg ・ Fiber: 12.08 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
Equipments
- Grater
- Garlic Press
- Chef’s Knife
- Small Roasting Pan
- Mesh Sieve
Our equipment section contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn commissions on qualifying purchases.
How to Make Quinoa Salad with Lemony Artichoke – Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: Rinse 1 cup of quinoa well in a wire mesh sieve.
Once rinsed, add it to a pot along with 1.75 cups water. Place a lid on pot and turn the heat on to high. Let the water come up to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes with the lid in place.
Step 2: While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the lemon garlic dressing.
Zest a lemon, then squeeze out the juice. You’ll need from 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice.
Step 3: Add 1 tsp of the lemon zest, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill) to the lemon juice.
Whisk the ingredients together. If using a jar, shake until the ingredients are combined.
Set the dressing aside.
Step 4: After simmering for 15 minutes, the quinoa should be tender and fluffy, and no liquid should remain in the pot.
Step 5: Spread the quinoa out into any sort of shallow dish, then place it in the refrigerator to cool for about 15 minutes.
Spreading it out is key because that increases the surface area in contact with the cold air and allows any excess moisture to evaporate.
Step 6: While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the rest of the ingredients for the salad. Drain and roughly chop one 13oz. can of quartered artichoke hearts.
Finely dice one red bell pepper. Roughly chop about 1 cup of fresh parsley. Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of chickpeas.
Place the artichoke hearts, bell pepper, parsley, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
Step 7: Once the quinoa is cooled, add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and gently toss to combine.
Step 8: Pour the lemon garlic dressing over the salad and toss once more until everything is coated in dressing.
Then the lemony artichoke and quinoa salad is ready to be eaten immediately.
Or portion it out into containers for your meal prep and refrigerate up to 4-5 days.
You can eat your salad alone as a light entrée, a side dish, or a base for bowl meals. Follow Apronese for more updates!
