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Quinoa spinach salad with pesto (+ video)

March 22, 2016 By Kathryn Doherty

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy

This light, flavorful quinoa spinach salad with pesto and nuts makes an easy weeknight side dish or lovely vegetarian lunch!This light, flavorful quinoa spinach salad with pesto and nuts makes an easy weeknight side dish or lovely vegetarian lunch! #quinoasalad #pesto #healthyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes

Who else had a super fun weekend?!

Saturday we all went to a park for an Easter festival and Easter egg hunt.

It was set up by age groups so J went first with the other really little kids. He was a bit hesitant at first so I went out with him and he gathered a few eggs. Very proud of himself.

M was up next and she was SO into it. Here she is surveying the field.

M Easter egg hunt

They said go and she was a speedy little thing, running all around to get as many eggs as she could. The girl racked up!

And Saturday, hubby and I had the evening to ourselves. A rare treat!

The kids spent the night with my parents so we had a date night out — with a gift card we’d had for over a year, if that tells you anything — and it was lovely. A little time away always feels luxurious. As does sleeping in a bit on Sunday morning. ❤️

Sunday the kiddos came home and we baked and took some chocolate chip zucchini bread to our new neighbors down the street to say hello and welcome. All around a good weekend!

Now on to this delicious recipe:

Quinoa spinach salad with pesto

Quinoa and spinach salad with pesto| FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Are you with me that putting pesto on something automatically elevates it to a delicious new level?

Yes? Good. I thought so, too.

Quinoa, spinach and pesto – with a few extras to make it super tasty – are all you need for this divine salad.

Talk about a bowl full of deliciousness!

This quinoa spinach salad makes a fast dinner side dish or a lovely vegetarian and gluten-free lunch.

I prefer it warm, but the leftovers are also good cold. I just help wake up the flavors with a little bit of olive oil, lemon juice or white wine vinegar and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Yum!

Quick tips on cooking quinoa: 

– It needs to be very well rinsed. (Sometimes you can buy varieties that are already triple rinsed.)

– It’s a 2:1 ratio for cooking: 2 cups of water (or liquid) for 1 cup of raw quinoa.

– Bring your quinoa and water to a boil then reduce the heat, cover the pot and cook the quinoa for 13-15 minutes.

– Quinoa is ready when it has absorbed the liquid and “popped,” meaning it’s showing what looks like a small tail that’s actually the germ of the kernel.

– If your quinoa has gotten cooked onto the bottom of the pan (because it absorbed all the liquid before you checked it), you can add a splash of water and scrape that up.

– Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork, season to taste and it’s ready to serve!

Quinoa and spinach salad with pesto is an easy dinner side dish or vegetarian lunch | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Bright, fresh, healthy and tastylicious – all the things I want come spring. (OK, I also want some sunny days so we can play outside once work is done!)

I hope you give this easy quinoa spinach salad a try and let me know what you think!

Happy cooking!

XO,
Kathryn

P.S. Check out some more delicious quinoa recipes:

– Mediterranean quinoa salad

– Spiralized beet quinoa salad

– Kale quinoa salad

– BBQ chicken quinoa salad bowls

Yield: 4 servings

Quinoa spinach salad with pesto

Quinoa spinach salad with pesto

A light, flavorful quinoa and spinach salad with basil pesto, Parmesan and nuts.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup dry quinoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons basil pesto
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach leaves
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (fresh grated, preferably)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a medium-sized bowl and season with salt and pepper.
  2. In the meantime, make your pesto (or open a jar - no judging!) and prep the remaining ingredients.
  3. Add everything to the bowl and mix well with the quinoa. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  4. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

I use walnuts here because that’s what I use in my pesto and what I always have on hand. You could substitute pine nuts or even slivered almonds, if you prefer.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245 Total Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 6mg Sodium: 301mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 0g Protein: 9g
© Kathryn
Cuisine: Mediterranean / Category: Salads
This light, flavorful quinoa spinach salad with pesto and nuts makes an easy weeknight side dish or lovely vegetarian lunch! #quinoasalad #pesto #healthyrecipes #vegetarianrecipes

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Filed Under: Easy Vegetarian Recipes, Healthy Summer Salads, Salads, Side dishes, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Dawn at Girl Heart Food says

    March 22, 2016 at 9:23 AM

    This salad looks delicious! And I absolutely LOVE anything with pesto!! Sounds like you had a great weekend! Have to try this recipe soon. PINNED 🙂 Happy Easter!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:29 AM

      Thanks Dawn! Pesto is magical, isn’t it? And happy Easter to you too 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says

    March 22, 2016 at 9:37 AM

    Quinoa + pesto?! Gimme!!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 22, 2016 at 10:28 AM

      Haha, I know – can’t go wrong!!

      Reply
  3. GiGi Eats says

    March 22, 2016 at 12:50 PM

    It’s crazy that I have never had quinoa before! Sadly, I cannot eat it – that being said, this looks BOMB!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 22, 2016 at 8:10 PM

      Oh boo, sorry you can’t have quinoa! You could definitely make this with some brown rice or whole wheat couscous — even farro — and it would be delicious as well.

      Reply
      • Emilie says

        September 3, 2019 at 9:06 PM

        I bet it would be good with cauliflower rice too. I just made it and it’s so delicious.

        Reply
        • Kathryn Doherty says

          September 6, 2019 at 6:51 AM

          I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, I bet cauliflower rice would be good here too – great idea! 😊

          Reply
  4. Annie @ The Garlic Diaries says

    March 22, 2016 at 8:04 PM

    I am loving everything about this! I mean, throw a dollop of pesto on anything and I’ll eat it…!! Yum :).

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 22, 2016 at 8:09 PM

      Haha, thanks Annie! I feel the exact same way 😉

      Reply
  5. Julie @ Running in a Skirt says

    March 23, 2016 at 8:38 AM

    Wow! I love this recipe and think I’ve got everything on hand for it. Such a good one.

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 23, 2016 at 2:48 PM

      Thanks Julie! It’s definitely an easy one to throw together with just a few basic ingredients 🙂

      Reply
  6. karrie@TastyEverAfter says

    March 23, 2016 at 11:44 AM

    Lovely weekend! And lovely salad! Yes to all the pesto I can get any way I can get it. I could eat pesto on everything and I bet it’s delicious with the quinoa and spinach. I’m going to serve this with some beautiful salmon 🙂

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 23, 2016 at 3:14 PM

      It would be awesome with salmon, Karrie! And yes, I think I could eat pesto every day on pretty much everything 😉

      Reply
  7. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    March 23, 2016 at 3:11 PM

    I am all about bowls full of deliciousness.. and pesto on all the things! So clearly I am LOVING this quinoa! I could totally eat this for dinner and lunch as is, but I’m sure it would be equally as delicious with some chicken on top (for Boy). My kind of meal, Kathryn! Pinned!
    P.s. so glad you guys had a terrific weekend AND got in a date night! Woot woot!! Our weekend was boring, so thanks for sharing yours… at least I can live vicariously through you. 😉

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 23, 2016 at 6:19 PM

      Chicken alongside or on top is definitely a good choice — or pork or fish — it pairs well with everything! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Scarlett says

    March 24, 2016 at 9:12 PM

    I 100% agree- pesto always makes things better! This dish looks wonderful.

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 25, 2016 at 9:23 PM

      Glad you’re on board with the pesto-for-everything plan 🙂

      Reply
  9. Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says

    March 25, 2016 at 4:50 AM

    Sounds like you had a fabulous weekend indeed Kathryn 🙂 So lovely that you had some Easter-themed fun with the kids but also some quality time with hubby. Sounds wonderful! We also had a great time last weekend and even managed to have a date night too last Saturday. I completely agree that adding pesto to just about anything takes it to the next level. Not sure what this world would be like without it! I’ve never tried quinoa with pesto, but I need to!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      March 25, 2016 at 9:26 PM

      Three cheers for date nights! Always a fun time. And yes, pesto on ALL the foods! 😉

      Reply
  10. Frugal Hausfrau says

    April 3, 2016 at 3:17 PM

    Kathryn, what a lovely side, although I’d go meal option with this. Thanks for bringing this by Throwback Thursday!

    Mollie

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      April 4, 2016 at 4:14 PM

      Thanks Mollie! It’s definitely a great lunch or light dinner on its own 🙂

      Reply
  11. Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says

    April 20, 2016 at 2:54 PM

    This looks awesome! I love quinoa, but it definitely needs flavor added. Pesto sounds perfect!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      April 21, 2016 at 10:49 PM

      So with you on that – always looking to jazz it up a bit. And pesto is the perfect, easy answer!

      Reply
  12. CakePants says

    April 26, 2016 at 9:15 PM

    This looks simply wonderful! I agree – putting pesto on things automatically makes them more awesome! I love the addition of walnuts to this salad.

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      April 27, 2016 at 3:26 PM

      Pesto and walnuts – can’t go wrong in my book! 🙂

      Reply
  13. fabiola@notjustbaked says

    April 20, 2017 at 2:35 PM

    I just made a recipe just like this :), such a great combo!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      April 20, 2017 at 2:56 PM

      Yay, aren’t those flavors so good together?! And I mean, you can’t go wrong with pesto anything 😉

      Reply
  14. Mimi says

    April 23, 2017 at 9:30 AM

    I’m not a huge fan of quinoa, but I love all of the elements of this salad. Pesto vinaigrettes are outstanding! Great video!

    Reply
    • Kathryn says

      April 24, 2017 at 7:11 AM

      Pesto definitely makes everything better 😉

      Reply

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Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a health and nutrition editor, wife, mother of two kids, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes and resources to help you get delicious family food on your table! Learn more about me.

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