This quinoa salad with spinach, tomatoes, goat cheese and an easy homemade lemon vinaigrette is bright, fresh and perfect for a delicious side salad.

We had such a fun weekend of hanging out at the pool, playing with friends in the neighborhood, taking the dog for walks and even going to play a par 3 golf course as a family. It's making Monday and a full week of work look so not hot, but here we are. (And we are at least sneaking down to the beach so really, no complaining from me.)

But OK, let's talk food.

Last week I shared my easy lemon vinaigrette recipe.

It’s just a few simple ingredients, minutes to mix together and adds such bright, fresh, lemony flavors to salads. (And not just regular lettuce salads but also grain bowls, pasta salads, potato salads and more.)

Today, I wanted to share a quick, easy quinoa salad that goes great with those fresh lemon flavors in the vinaigrette.

This quinoa salad with spinach, tomatoes and goat cheese — plus toasted pine nuts and fresh basil — is light, fresh, healthy and so delicious.

It’s great as a side salad for grilled chicken, fish or burgers. And it’s an easy all-in-one side dish of grains and veggies that’s perfect for summertime.

That’s kind-of how I live in the summertime.

Check out these other summer salad favorites:

• Summer veggie pasta salad
• Creamy BLT pasta salad
• Classic spaghetti salad
• Quinoa Caprese salad
• Blueberry basil quinoa salad

Or browse all of my healthy summer salads for more inspiration.

OK, back to today’s yumminess. let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make this quinoa salad. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making quinoa salad with spinach and tomatoes:

• Quinoa: It’s in the name and what I use, but you could substitute barley, farro or another grain if you prefer.
• Spinach: Baby spinach or regular bagged spinach is fine here. Arugula or mixed greens also work great in this salad.
• Tomatoes: I use halved cherry or grape tomatoes. But if you can get some fresh heirloom tomatoes, chop those up and use that instead.
• Goat cheese: I love the creaminess of the goat cheese and the mild flavor it has for this salad. You could also try another soft cheese if you prefer.
• Pine nuts: Toasted pine nuts add a ton of flavor and a yummy crunch to the salad. However, I know they are expensive, so it’s fine to omit or to substitute with another nut you might have on hand. I’d recommend toasted walnuts.
• Fresh basil: This adds great freshness, but you can skip it if you don’t have any on hand.

Finally, the homemade lemon vinaigrette is super simple and uses on-hand ingredients. But you could certainly substitute a store-bought dressing. You know I don’t judge.

It would also work with a balsamic vinaigrette if you’d like to try it that way.

I know, that was a lot of substitutions and options.

But I love helping you make a recipe your own or adapting it to what you have on hand. Experimentation is good.

(That being said, if you swap out absolutely everything in this salad and it doesn’t work great, well, don't blame me - that's not the recipe I created for you! 😜)

Besides substituting though, you can also make additions to this salad, particularly if you want to make it into more of a main dish.

Some chopped, cooked chicken or rinsed, drained chickpeas would be great additions here.

Oh, and a note about prepping this ahead. Because with summertime and pool nights and entertaining and changing schedules, I know it can help to have some parts of dinner ready to go ahead of time.

Make ahead tips for this quinoa salad:

- Make the dressing ahead. Store it, covered, in the fridge for up to a week. Just make sure to re-shake or re-mix it well before using in case it has settled.

- Cook and cool the quinoa. Store it alone or with the spinach, tomatoes and goat cheese mixed in.

- Toast the pine nuts but store separately from the salad, and at room temp, so they don’t lose their crunch.

- When ready to assemble and serve, add the pine nuts and basil to the salad, mix with the dressing and you’re set!

Final tip: It’s fine to dress the salad up to a half-hour before serving. It won’t make the quinoa or veggies soggy at all and will just soak in well. But do wait to add the pine nuts and fresh basil until you’re about to serve it.

Oh, and I use and love these 8 oz. (half-pint) canning jars that I got as a set from Amazon. They are great for shaking up dressings. (Also great for storing things and using for overnight oatmeal jars.)

Ta-da! You are ready to dive in.

Wishing you plenty of healthy, hearty salads this summer, along with all the sunshine, fun and laughter. (Plus some ice cream and s’mores, too, I hope. It's all about balance. 😉)

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn