This quinoa salad is so yummy, healthy and even gluten free! It has everything you want including nutritious veggies, black beans, hearty grain and filling protein. Top everything with a simple, tasty, homemade citrus dressing made with lemon juice.
This wholesome easy quinoa salad is quick, easy and really versatile! I absolutely love making it as a cookout side or light dinner, and it’s also really fabulous for meal prep. Just store your salad in a little airtight container for the perfect grab-and-go lunch.
Now I love making this quinoa salad recipe with Air Fryer Sausage, but you can totally use whatever protein your heart desires. You can even substitute tofu or leave the meat out all-together to create a vegan recipe! The options are seriously endless.
Swap your sausage for Air Fryer Salmon or Air Fryer Chicken Breast. If you’re not feeling the air-fryer, grill up some Cajun Shrimp Skewers or Cajun Chicken. You could even whip up some of these Garlic Butter Steak Bites on the stovetop!
Ingredients To Make Quinoa Salad
- Italian sausages — Sweet, mild or hot. Pick your favorite kind!
- Quinoa — I generally use white quinoa, but you can use any color. Cooking quinoa is pretty simple, but if you want some extra tips check out my guide: How To Make Fluffy Quinoa!
- Black beans — Delicious, velvety and full of fiber.
- Veggies — Red onion, red bell pepper and cucumber are my go-to vegetables for this recipe, but you can absolutely mix things up and use what you’ve got on hand.
- Dressing ingredients — I use fresh lemon juice (lime juice works too), extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Garnish — Fresh herbs are great here. Fresh cilantro, mint or parsley are an optional garnish for this salad, it’s great for extra flavor and color!
Instructions to make Quinoa Salad
Air fry sausages:
- If your air fryer requires preheating, do that before anything else! Set it to 375°F (190°C).
- Use a paper towel and pat sausages down to soak up excess moisture, then pierce each one a few times with a fork so steam can escape while they cook.
- Air fry for about 15 minutes and flip halfway through! Sausages are done once they reach an internal temperature of 160°F or 71°C.
Cook quinoa
- Add 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan, place on the stovetop and turn heat to high. While you wait for water to boil, rinse quinoa well using a mesh strainer.
- Next, reduce heat to low and stir in rinsed quinoa. Cover with a lid and simmer 10-15 minutes. (*Tip: multitask and use simmer time to dice up salad veggies if you haven’t already)!
- Remove saucepan from heat and grab a fork. Fluff cooked quinoa and then be sure to let it cool for at least 5 minutes.
Prepare dressing:
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- Add all lemon dressing ingredients to a mason jar, preferably one with a screw top. Secure the lid atop your jar and shake until ingredients are combined! If you don’t have a lidded jar, you can also use a whisk to combine.
Assemble and serve:
- Now get a big salad bowl and add cooked quinoa, diced veggies, and black beans. Stir well, drizzle with dressing and toss again.
- Slice up your sausages and place them on top of the quinoa salad. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- A meat thermometer comes in super handy for this recipe, use it to check your sausages. This way you’ll know exactly when they’re done and avoid over or undercooking.
- It’s important to rinse your quinoa! Taking a moment to run some water over your grain will remove its natural coating. This is a good thing because the coating tends to have a bitter or even soapy flavor. Sometimes, quinoa will come in packaging labeled pre-rinsed, but I still give it another go.
- This easy quinoa salad is very flexible. Feel free to swap another variety of beans like chickpeas or add in some different vegetables such as spinach, kale, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and kalamata olives. You can use up what you’ve got on hand and reduce food waste, which is always a win in my book.
- If you like tangy vinaigrette, add a splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar to dressing ingredients.
- Make ahead tips: If you have an extra busy week coming up, you can make your dressing and quinoa a day or two ahead of time. You can also chop up your veggies in advance!
- Also you can garnish it with slices of avocado and feta cheese, if you desire.
How To Meal Prep Quinoa Recipe
This quinoa salad is really great for meal prep! Simply portion it evenly into airtight containers and top with sliced sausage.
It’s a hearty and satisfying lunch that will keep you full.
You can even bring a little bit of extra salad dressing on the side for extra flavorful goodness. Want another similar and delicious meal prep idea? Be sure to try my Chicken Couscous Salad!
When I’m tired of sandwiches, I really appreciate having a fresh quinoa salad recipe at the office. It definitely adds happiness to the day when I’ve packed something I’m really excited to eat.
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: Portion leftovers evenly into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: This quinoa salad also freezes well for up to 3 months. The veggies won’t be as crisp once thawed, but everything else (sausage, quinoa, beans) will hold texture and quality. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight before eating!
- To Reheat: You don’t really need to reheat this recipe, I actually prefer eating it chilled. You can pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so if you want to warm it up. You can also just remove sausage from the top and heat it solo before returning it to the salad.
What pairs well with quinoa salad?
Grilled Chicken: Serve your couscous salad with grilled chicken thighs, grilled chicken wings or grilled chicken breast for a protein-rich and satisfying meal.
Roasted Vegetables: Roasted vegetables like roasted asparagus, roasted potatoes, roasted green beans, roasted sweet potato or roasted brussels sprouts can enhance the flavors and textures in your salad.
Soft Bread or Rolls: Offer soft garlic bread or dinner rolls for a complete and satisfying meal.
Change the protein to delicious baked salmon, cod recipe or garlic butter shrimp.
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More Quinoa Salad Recipes
Quinoa is a very popular grain and for good reason! This gluten free super-seed comes in many pretty colors and it’s very nutritious. It’s certainly a great ingredient to include in your healthy diet. If you want to make more healthy quinoa salad recipes, I have tons to share with you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! I actually prefer this side dish chilled. As the ingredients sit together in the refrigerator, they become extra flavorful from marinating in dressing. You can certainly warm this salad up a bit if you prefer, but it’s not necessary.
I really enjoy pairing this quinoa salad recipe with a grilled protein like chicken, Cedar Plank Salmon or Grilled Lamb Chops. Sometimes I leave out the sausage when I’m planning to serve this dish as a barbeque or cookout side, but you can still include it if you’d prefer!
Quinoa is a seed, but it’s still considered a whole grain! It’s gluten free and lower in carbs than rice. It also has a decent amount of fiber and protein.
Watch Quinoa Salad Web Story here.
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Quinoa Salad Recipe with Sausage
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 medium Italian sausages
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- ½ cup red onions chopped
- 1 cup red pepper chopped
- 1 cup cucumber chopped
- Fresh parsley for garnish
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Sausage
- Preheat the air fryer to 375°F (190°C) for 5 minutes. Pat the sausages dry with a paper towel and pierce each a few times with a fork to allow steam to escape.
- Place the sausages in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook the sausages for 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking time. Once internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C), they are done. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature.
For the quinoa salad
- In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add rinsed quinoa. Cover the saucepan with a lid and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- In a mason jar or small bowl, pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper and whisk everything.
- In a large bowl, add cooked quinoa, red onions, cucumber, red bell pepper and black beans. Stir really well.
- Pour the homemade vinaigrette dressing over the quinoa salad and stir to combine. Garnish with parsley before serving.
Meal Prep/Storage:
- Place an even amount of quinoa salad and sausage into 4 glass containers. Cover with a lid, and place in the fridge for up 4 days. You can also store your salad in one, large container if desired.
Tips
- A meat thermometer is handy for this recipe so you know exactly when sausages are done.
- Always rinse quinoa before cooking to wash off bitter coating.
- Feel free to swap out veggies or replace black beans for another type such as kidney beans or pinto beans.
- You can use a different bell pepper but red is the sweetest.
- If you like tangy vinaigrette, add a splash of white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar to dressing ingredients.
- Make ahead tips: Make your dressing and quinoa a day or two ahead of time. You can also chop up your veggies in advance!
- To store: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: This salad also freezes pretty well for up to 3 months. Veggies won’t be as crisp once thawed but everything else should be stable.
- To reheat: You can simply just bring the salad to room temperature or enjoy it chilled.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Grace @ Earthy Feast says
This quinoa salad has all my favorite things! Super easy and flavorful dish for weekday lunches! Pinned!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
I am on a major salad kick right now, but am getting a little bored with lettuce on lettuce on lettuce. This quinoa salad will be the perfect thing to break it up!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says
Love the multicolored quinoa, makes the dish pop! I totally big puffy heart quinoa salads and this one is no exception, can’t wait to make it!
Sues says
I eat SO much quinoa and am loving this salad. I used quinoa as breadcrumbs on chicken the other day and it was pretty awesome, too!
Leah | So, How's It Taste? says
I’m such a big fan of quinoa in salads! Such a nice change from boring lettuce. This one sounds so easy and tasty!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
What a gorgeous salad, Olivia! I love how easy this is to throw together. Quinoa is my favorite ingredient to add into salads, so I’m definitely trying your version out! Delish!
Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine says
Looks delicious! Will definitely give this a try. 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Lovely salad! Grain salads are so much more satisfying than lettuce-based ones. Also unrelated, but I think I just bought the same bowls you used in this post! I can’t wait to use them for a post, we’ll twin 🙂
Sarah says
I made this recipe twice in two weeks! It’s perfection. So easy and delicious and healthy. Thank you!
Olivia says
Wow that’s amazing! Happy you enjoyed this recipe 😉
marcy youker says
love quiona and the veggies, will make it for this week, thanks a lot,
Olivia says
Happy you like it 😉