• Home
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Blog
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • Ethnic Cuisines
    • Asian
    • French
    • German
    • Irish
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican
    • Portuguese
  • Testimonials
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
×
Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

August 2, 2015 · 1 Comment

Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Dairy Free Recipes· Gluten Free Recipes· Low Fat Recipes· Salad Recipes· Summer BBQ's· Vegetarian Recipes

1642 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Threads
  • Bluesky
Jump to Recipe -
This quinoa salad using fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers in a white balsamic vinaigrette is light and refreshing on a hot summer day.

This quinoa salad using fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers in a white balsamic vinaigrette makes a light and refreshing accompaniment to any meal.

 

Tomato and Cucumber Quinoa Salad

I'm officially back from vacation and ready to get our healthy eating back on track. You know how it is when you're on vacation and splurge on all of the "non-healthy" type of foods you try to stay away from on a regular basis.

At least it's that way with my family. To start, I made a little twist on one of my daughters' favorite salads and came up with this Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad.

Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad

I've mentioned before that my family wasn't 100% on the quinoa bandwagon until I started making it cold in salads versus serving it hot as a side dish.

Quinoa has a little bit of a crunch and its fluffy, nutty flavor pairs nicely with garden vegetables.

How do you make Tomato Cucumber Quinoa Salad?

For this recipe I cooked the quinoa ahead of time and allowed it to cool for at least 2 hours. I find that when making a quinoa salad you have to make sure that your quinoa is completely cooled before adding any condiments to it or your salad will become too mushy.

You can even prepare your quinoa the day before and refrigerate until you're ready to mix in the remaining ingredients.

Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Once your quinoa is completely cooled, add chopped fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, basil and Pecorino Romano cheese.

I used small diced plum tomatoes and English cucumbers and left the skin on; however, you can use a variety of other types of tomatoes or peel regular cucumbers instead.

Next, I whisked together white balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and Canola oil (or any other light oil like Grapeseed; which won't weigh down the salad); then poured it over the quinoa and mixed well.

Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Not only was this Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad deliciously light and refreshing, it also didn't last very long.

My family likes to eat this 'as-is' for lunch or I'll serve it with grilled chicken or pork chops as a side dish. ~Enjoy!

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and receive a FREE eBook! 

Tomato & Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Tomato and Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
This quinoa salad using fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers in a white balsamic vinaigrette makes a light and refreshing accompaniment to any meal. 
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Salads
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cooled cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced english cucumbers
  • 1 scallion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon grated pecorino romano cheese
  • 2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Prepare quinoa according to package directions and allow to cool completely. Can be made the day before and kept refrigerated.
  • Combine the quinoa, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, basil and cheese in a medium bowl.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice and oil; then pour over the quinoa. Mix well.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 154mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 202IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Keyword quinoa
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.

 

Related Recipes

Avocado Quinoa Salad
Avocado Quinoa Salad
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
 
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
 
Quinoa Salad with Black Beans
Quinoa Salad with Black Beans in a Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

This quinoa salad using fresh garden tomatoes and cucumbers in a white balsamic vinaigrette is light and refreshing on a hot summer day.

 

Connect with me on Social Media

Facebook | X | Pinterest | Instagram

More Salad Recipes

  • a bowl of mexican style corn salad
    Mexican-Style Corn Salad
  • a white bowl filled with buffalo style chicken salad
    Buffalo-Style Chicken Salad
  • rotini pasta salad with spinach and marinated artichokes
    Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Salad
  • amish macaroni salad on a spoon
    Amish Macaroni Salad
Previous Post: « Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sliders
Next Post: Mustard and Tarragon Roasted Sweet Potatoes »

Reader Interactions

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Not sure what to make for dinner? The ingredients for a quick and easy family-friendly home cooked meal are right in front of you. Join me as experiment with new recipes sourced by local, fresh ingredients. Enjoy!

Stay up to date

Categories

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · Carrie's Experimental Kitchen