Artichoke and feta quinoa salad

As a great person once said: to be worth eating, salads need to have plenty of yummy bits (…yes, it was me). They can have heaps of lettuce, and even other raw veg like cucumber or tomatoes – but unless there’s something a bit special in there too, I’m not going to be interested. I love vegetables, but cold, raw vegetables don’t particularly excite me. I need me some yummy bits.

And this salad is 100% yummy bits.

Okay, I’m playing a bit fast and loose with the term ‘salad’ here – it’s more of a quinoa dish than a salad, but never mind. Top it with marinated artichoke hearts (a.k.a. my favourite thing that come in a jar, apart from maybe black olives, which are equal favourites), crumbled feta cheese, and fresh rocket, and you’ve got yourself a salad.

I made a really simple dressing to pour over the top – and when I say simple, I mean the two ingredients kind of simple. A bit of lemon juice, and a bit of the oil from the marinated artichokes. Plus a bit of salt and pepper, if you’re feeling fancy. Just whisk them together (or put them in a teeny tiny jar like I did, and give them a good shake), and your dressing is done.

I love how simple this quinoa salad is to make – I even used a sachet of pre-cooked quinoa, but only because I had some in the cupboard that needed using up. Feel free to cook your quinoa from scratch! Then you just mix everything together (or lay it all out neatly, like I did for a whole three seconds before digging in), and this quinoa salad makes a delicious lunch, or a side dish to serve alongside something tasty.

By the way, you can serve this salad warm or cold – either let your quinoa cool down after cooking (e.g. for a packed lunch!), or serve it up right away while there’s still some heat in it.

Print Recipe

Artichoke and feta quinoa salad

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Light lunch

Calories:

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 250 g cooked quinoa - or 100g uncooked ~2 cups, I used a mixture of red and white
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or use the oil from the marinated artichokes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 pieces marinated artichoke hearts if you’re using artichoke heart quarters, you’ll need 8
• 50 g feta cheese ~1/2 cup
• Small handful rocket arugula

Instructions

• If using uncooked quinoa, simmer it in a pan of water until tender, then drain. Either set it aside to cool, or continue using the warm quinoa.
• In a mug or jar, combine the lemon juice and olive oil, along with a little salt and pepper. Mix well to emulsify.
• Roughly chop the artichoke hearts and feta cheese, and assemble the salad with the quinoa and rocket. Drizzle over the dressing just before serving.

Love artichokes? Try my vegan veggie pasta: