This salad couldn’t come at a better time. I’ve just returned home after a long weekend in Austin, Texas. Taco after taco, margarita after margarita. Chips and salsa in between. On the return home, I ate a scoop of Mexican vanilla ice cream for dinner. It was incredible.
This was a girls’ trip, just for fun, and it was desperately needed. My taste buds got a break from all the cookbook recipe testing and now, I’m craving healthy home cooking once again. Please, remind me to take real vacations more often!
This mega-healthy quinoa and spinach salad was inspired by a Whole Foods buffet salad that I found in Kansas City last week. I was desperate for recipe inspiration, so I sampled a few of their salads and particularly enjoyed their spinach and quinoa salad with pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. The sign said the salad had basil in it, but I sure couldn’t find any.
Anyway, I tried to recreate it at home and ended up making a few changes, of course. I swapped more affordable sliced almonds for the pine nuts (they taste better, too), skipped the nonexistent basil, and whipped up a zippy lemon dressing.
This salad packs up great for lunch. It would also make a lovely, protein-rich side salad. Top it with a fried egg and call it dinner. It’s vegan as is, but you could throw in some feta if you’d like. Chickpeas might be nice, too. Arugula is a great alternative to spinach (I could hardly decide between the two).
I’ve been frustrated with my quinoa ending up mushy lately, so I tried cooking the quinoa uncovered for 15 minutes this time, and it worked beautifully. I hope it works just as well for you. Please let me know!
Watch How to Make Perfectly Fluffy Quinoa
Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This simple spinach quinoa salad is full of fresh Mediterranean flavors, including lemon, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted almonds! It’s vegan and gluten free, too, so it’s a great potluck option. Recipe yields 4 side servings or 2 main dish-sized servings.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach or arugula
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ teaspoon olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Lemon dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, which gives it time to fluff up.
- Meanwhile, to prepare the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
- To toast the almonds: Warm ¼ teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the almonds and a dash of salt and cook, stirring frequently (beware, these burn quickly!), until they are golden and fragrant. Transfer the toasted almonds to a medium-sized serving bowl to cool.
- Once the quinoa is done cooking, fluff it with a fork and then transfer it into your serving bowl. Drizzle all of the dressing on top and toss to combine. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and wait a few more minutes to add the spinach so it doesn’t wilt completely. Toss again, season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe inspired by a quinoa salad at Whole Foods Market.
Make it nut free: Replace the almonds with pepitas (green pumpkin seeds). Sunflower seeds might be nice, as would pine nuts if you aren’t sensitive to them (they are technically seeds).
Storage suggestions: This quinoa will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for several days. Gently reheat or serve chilled.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Wendy Schwantes
This is delicious! I am trying to eat healthier overall, and I looked online for recipes with quinoa and spinach or kale. I came across this recipe and it sounded pretty good. But I was pleasantly surprised, as it was better than I expected. The mix of flavors and the crunchy almonds blended so well. Even my meat-eating, junk-food-loving husband said it was awesome, and he doesn’t typically like healthier foods. Thank you. I’m looking forward to trying your cinnamon toast breakfast quinoa tomorrow (now that I’ve made the quinoa) as well as a few others. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it surprised you! Thanks for sharing. Let me know what you thought of the breakfast quinoa!
Shell
This is my first quinoa recipe and I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this dish was. Easy, delicious and your cooking instructions for the quinoa was perfect. Will make this again. Move over mushroom risotto. There’s a new sheriff in town. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Angie
Loved this recipe, second time I am making it. My family are also big fans :) We also do your butternut risotto often – delicious, thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
Both are so delicious! Thanks for your review, Angie.
Jane
Delicious dressing!
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Jane!
Eve
I have made this salad several times now with arugula. It is simply delicious! Thank you!
Eve
★★★★★
Eileen
This salad was delicious and hearty! I also added some fetta cheese for some extra creaminess. It’s a great winter salad – the garlic and chilli flakes made it very warming. I don’t usually like sun dried tomatoes but I really liked them in this salad. I’m working my way through your “20 epic salads” and all have been fabulous – the fennel and apple one is still my favourite!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you liked it! The fennel one is great, too.
Kayla Blaise
This recipe was simply AMAZING! I almost never trust completely vegan or gluten free recipes, and this one was both and totally and utterly delicious. My friends and I held a chopped competition and I won with this dish. (And the judge was someone who doesn’t like me, so he must have been honest). I swear this recipe will change your life. The quinoa was delicious and filling, the spinach was healthy and balanced the flavors, the lemon dressing added zing. Just wow
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it and won your competition, Kayla!
Gaby
Hi Kate, your cooking method is purrfect! Spot on every time. Quick question: can I cook black or red quinoa together with white quinoa (I mean the standard quinoa), or do they have different cooking times and should be cooked separately and mixed afterwards?
Thanks!
Gaby
Kate
I believe tri-color quinoa (that has the combination you mentioned above) follows similar cooking instructions!
Laura
This was excellent! I used farro in place of quinoa because my husband won’t eat quinoa. I wish I had made more! This will for sure be my go-to for any summer bbqs or potlucks.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Laura! I appreciate your review.
Marie
I made this tonight and it was delicious. A nice change from meat, fish, etc. I used pine nuts which I happened to have. I reduced the 1/2 t of salt in the dressing to about a 1/4.
In the future will you be adding nutritional information, like how many carbs, calories, sugar, etc. That would be very helpful.
Thanks so much.
Marie
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Marie! I actually do provide the nutritional information for recipes. It’s an estimate, but you can find it below the notes of the recipe. Ensure you enable cookies in your browser to see it.
erica
The flavor of this was AWESOME. BUT – the quinoa was pretty gluey/mushy using your directions. maybe I overcooked it. but i’m gonna try another cooking method with the rest of this recipe next time.
Kate
I’m sorry this wasn’t perfect for you! It shouldn’t be mushy. How high was your heat and how long did you have it go for?
erica
followed the directions exactly – 15 mins, turning down gradually. it was still really good and plan to remake – loved the flavors but just need to figure out how to get the quinoa less gloppy :>)
erica
I happen to be watching a dumb food network show right now and it says that white quinoa cooks quicker than the other kinds – mine is white. think maybe that could be it?
Erica
Love the rest of the recipe, but just tried doing the quinoa in the instant pot and I’ll never go back! 1/2 tsp oil, 1c. quinoa, 1 min high pressure, 10 min natural release. perfect and fluffy, not at all clumpy!
Linda Lubin
This may be the first time I’ve ever commented on a recipe. This dish is so outstanding I had to. I made it for the second time yesterday and know it will become a staple. Delicious, nutritious, and easy.I make it with pine nuts, baby arugula, and chickpeas. Will experiment with other versions, maybe, though I love this combo!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Linda! I appreciate your review.
Haley
this was so simple and delicious! I think having high-quality sun-dried tomatoes is key here. I added some homemade vegan feta too, it was pretty amazing! Will definitely keep this in the rotation.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Haley!
Hayley Morrin
This salad was even better than I expected. I added Kalamata olives because I love the combination of sundried tomatoes and olives. The dressing was absolutely delicious. Thanks for another healthy hit, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Hayley! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Shauna
Your quinoa recipes and how-to-cook quinoa is my bible. Saved, bookmarked and added to favourites! ~ your latest fan, from Singapore
Kate
Love to hear that, Shauna!
Natty Dias
Dear Kate, haven’t tried any of your recipes as yet. I was tempted to try the Quinoa Salad, but your video tutorial for cooking fluffy quinoa isn’t playing. The website is dreadfully slow because of the number of ads on your pages.
Kate
Hi Natty, I’m sorry for your poor experience. I will look into the issue.
Sandra Ayes
How much is 1 serving?
★★★★★
Kate
Roughly 1-2 cups.
Mike
Please look at the details, I see you add the almonds to cool… at no point after that does it say add the almonds to the dish?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mike, see steps 3-4. You will add them to the serving bowl. I hope this helps!
Lucia
Amazing recipe! I used peanuts instead of almonds and I worked amazingly well. Love the flavor of the mustard for the dressing. Thank you! :)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lucia!
Jean white
Love love love this recipe . A friend made it and brought it to work and I really didn’t think I was gonna like it but I was wrong . She added a few extra things such as purple hull peas ,shredded beets ( sure wish I had used rubber gloves ), and feta cheese crumbs. Oh and the quinoa turned out perfect because I followed your instructions !
★★★★★
Mia
Just made this for a potluck last night and it was SO GOOD. But, I’ll go out on a limb and say this was even better today after letting the flavors meld overnight. We added feta, and today I put 2 fried eggs on it for a full lunch. Blown away. SO GOOD!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Mia!
Ann
Made this for “Salad Tuesday” at the office and everyone LOVED it. I dry-toasted the almond for a healthier option and used lemon-infused olive oil. HINT: I had to make this the night before so I added about half the spinach to wilt it slightly then served it over fresh baby spinach at lunch the next day. Delicious and received many requests for the recipe! Thank you for posting this delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Ann!
Foodie
This recipe is solid. I like the spinach w/tomatoes and other suggestions to mix in. Quinoa is a canvas for all sorts of tastes.
Don’t cook quinoa OR rice covered. There’s also no need to try to perfectly measure the amount of liquid you need…just estimate higher. I’ve never understood why people fuss with that. Just taste test and drain any excess when you’re happy with the texture. You can then add a lid to steam if you’d like. You can also cook the quinoa (or rice) in broth to add more flavor.
★★★★
rosemarie green
my husband is a faithful vegan, me occasional, but cooking for a vegan only person can be challenging. Love the quinoa recipe and have made it often! One of our favs
★★★★★
Sam
Thank you so much for this great recipe! I made it with arugula and added cherry tomatoes and cucumber for extra freshness. I didn’t have dijon mustard, but dressing was still fabulous!
★★★★★
Amy
Such a great recipe. I have made it a half dozen times. We find the dressing a bit garlicky so I only use 1 clove. And I have never been much of a raw spinach salad fan, but chopping it up makes a huge difference!
Thank you for this recipe Kate. :)
★★★★★
Monique
I am yet to try this quinoa salad recipe. Can you please offer a replacement suggestion for the mustard. My teen reacts to it. Thank you
Kate
You can omit it, but I don’t have a good replacement without trying it out myself. Sorry!
Roy
Brilliant. It is especially good when you’re really hungry; the lemon zestfulness goes down extremely well. Thanks for a wonderful treat.
★★★★★
Stacey Whitman
I made this today.The vinaigrette dressing really gave it a lot of flavor. I added parmesan reggiano cheese and it was a great compliment which added the salt component that I was craving. It was my first time ever making quinoa. I need a little more practice but your instructions were excellent. Thank you for helping to make my first quinoa making experience wonderful. I’m going to try making all the different recipes.
★★★★★
Antonio
This was my first time cooking one of your recipes as well as quinoa and it came out perfectly. The combination of flavors and textures in this salad were exactly what I was looking for to give me an energy boost after playing with my kids all morning. It took almost no time at all to make. I will be making this much more often. Excited to try your other recipes! Thanks!
★★★★★
Breanne
So just finished the recipe! I love everything about it except the sun dried tomatoes I used. They were Bella Luca something like that. And maybe I don’t have the taste buds for the texture yet but I will try again with another brand. Other than that, everything about this was simple and easy to follow! I never made quinoa before and it came out so tasty! Love the dressing!
★★★★★
Kate
It may be the brand, so let me know what you think next time. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and review, Breanne!
Net
We made tonight with a couple additions: a tablespoon of honey added in the dressing and we sauted chopped green onion, almonds and the sun dried tomatoes together. Very good! This was our first time eating quinoa, so the texture took a little getting use to.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Net!
Dianne
I think this is the best thing I have ever made. Each mouthful was amazing !
!
★★★★★
Patty
Fabulous recipe! I added roasted sweet potatoes for color because I had used regular quinoa. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Bartek
Had a big jar of dried tomatoes so was on a look out for a salad before they go bad.
Came out great! I’ve added a bunch of dried raisins while preparing quinoa. A little sweeter accent in the salty environment. Also added some capers to the mix. Fantastic healthy dish! Thank you
★★★★★
susan
I’m happy to have found this site as I’ve not cooked much with quinoa. I’ve printed and planned to make this recipe but found the quinoa part confusing. The ingredients list 3 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander. But, then the instructions say To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water…
I think the ingredients should say 3 C prepared quinoa or the instructions need to have 6 cups of water. When I try it, I’ll use 1 c quinoa. Wish me luck!! Looks wonderful.
Kate
Hi Susan! You are in the right place. :) I’m sorry for the confusion. The recipe lists 1 cup quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander—that’s referring to uncooked quinoa. In step one, we’ll combine it with 2 cups water and cook it. One cup uncooked quinoa yields 3 cups cooked.
Steve
My sister gave me a big bunch of quinoa, saying she didn’t know what to do with it anymore. Neither did I but I found your recipe and this was the first time I ever prepared quinoa. Preparation was easy with your instructions and the results: I was blown away! All the elements came together perfectly and each mouthful was so delicious and fulfilling. Thanks so much for inducting me into the wonderful world of quinoa; I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
★★★★★
Amir Raza
Hi Kate, I am loving your quinoa salad recipes…
From down under… New Zealand!
★★★★★
Don
Made yesterday. It was a wonderful surprise, as I often find quinoa somewhat sweeter than I like. This was just great.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you enjoyed this, Don! Thank you for your review.
Theresa Caissie
Delicious
★★★★★
Katie Marrs
Sooo good!!! I will be making this weekly. I added a piece of wild caught butter salmon with crispy skin! Only thing I did different from the recipe was add baby radish green instead of salmon because I had them.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Katie!
Deb Phelps
I didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes, so came up with my own salad but using the dressing – YUM. I didn’t use the red pepper flakes, and because I was serving it cold, didn’t want fresh garlic – I used roasted garlic powder. The salad I did was 2 cups of quinoa, a package of arugula, roasted walnuts and 2 containers of feta cheese – SO GOOD! The dressing is delicious – oh, and I did double it for the extra ingredients.
★★★★★
Emily
Thanks for sharing this simple, delicious and healthy recipe.
★★★★★
Cindy
Made this tonight–another success from Cookie and Kate! Happened to have pine nuts and pumpkin seeds; added just a bit of feta and alas: no left-overs. Thank you for a perfect summer supper!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Cindy.
Tangari Kathleen
I’ve been looking for recipes that won’t break the bank, require ingredients I can’t pronounce, and use staples I want to expand my recipes for. Oh- and are healthy with vegan options, and are gluten free. Thankyou! Can’t wait to try these!
Beverley
I’m making this right now (4th time I’ve made it). It’s a baking hot day here so am looking forward to an alfresco supper this evening with a glass of something white and chilled. Husband and I adore this recipe. I swop almonds for toasted pine nuts, reduce the quinoa a bit and add chickpeas to the mix.
With everything going so pear shaped here in the U.K. and in the world right now, I’m looking forward to eating this in the peace of our garden with birdsong. Stay well
★★★★★
Iona
this dressing is BOM.COM!!! I LOVE it so much!!!
Bridgette
Delicious! Perfect for a hot day when you don’t feel like cooking and/or you have some leftover quinoa. I added some vegan feta too!
★★★★★
Jenni
Super Salad! I also zested the lemon and added it to the dressing, because studies have shown that citrus peel contains powerful ingredients that help prevent cancer.
★★★★★
Lynne
Is this supposed to be served warm or chilled? Directions look as though warm??
Kate
Hi! Slightly warm or chilled. Be mindful of how warm your quinoa is prior to adding to the spinach so it doesn’t wilt completely. Let me know what you think!
Charlie
I have always struggled to get quinoa just right. Your fool proof recipe is amazing. The technique is so easy and effective. I just wanted to relay my sincere thanks. This base combined with your other recipes, e.g sundried tomatoe salad with an exceptional dressing is wonderful. Although I did add a little apple cider vinegar to the dressing and swapped out the almonds for pumpkin seeds.
Thanks again.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Charlie! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Peggy F.
Really enjoyed this as well as all the recipes I have tried on your site! I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so did a light sauté of cherry tomatoes before tossing them in. Loved it! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear it, Peggi! Thank you for sharing.
Melissa
Perfect every time!
★★★★★
Jana
Great recipe! I took it in a slightly different direction. I added just a touch of agave to the dressing and added some craisins to the salad mix. It was excellent. I’ll be making it again today and think I’ll add some chickpeas!
★★★★★
Barbara
Made it for dinner last night and it was really good. Leftovers for lunch today are just as good!
★★★★★
Carmel
I was so happy to find this post. I was looking for quinoa salad that did not have beans. I have to confess,I didn’t make the dressing. I just used a bit of the sun-dried tomato oil and salt. It was still very good!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you found it too! Thank you for taking the time to comment and review, Carmel.
Charlene
I LOVE this! I know I’ll be making this again and again. It’s delicious
And it fits in with the kid’s diets. I am vegan challenged ♀️
And you are so right about how to cook the quinoa. Best I’ve ever made. Very different instructions than I’ve ever seen. And so easy! Thanks for tonight’s dinner.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Charlene! Thank you for your review.
Shay
We loved this dish for a quick, easy Sunday night supper with ingredients we already had on hand and fast clean up. Love that we have enough for lunch tomorrow. I skipped the olive oil for toasting the almonds and next time, I will add some fresh basil ribbons from my patio garden.
★★★★★
Kate
Sounds delicious, Shay! Thank you for your review.
Martha
Delicious! It’s as good as it looks and simple to make. I had all the ingredients on hand will plan to keep it that way. Very nice.
★★★★★
Kate
Great! Thank you for your review, Martha.
Monica Richardson
@Erica, how much water did you add?
Dee K
Excellent….I used toasted walnuts as that’s what I had on had. Will make this again and add arugula with the spinach as I love it, but didn’t have any on hand. This will be great for lunch for the next few days.
★★★★★
Dani
We really enjoyed this salad tonight. It was my boyfriend’s first time eating quinoa and he loved it. I made a few following changes and additions to the recipe that I thought I might share. Quartered some brussels sprouts then roasted them lightly in the oven with olive oil salt and pepper. Added honey to the dressing and then strained it because I didn’t want any big pieces of garlic and chilli flakes. I used goat feta cheese with herbs, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds as well as the tri-coloured quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach that lead me to find this recipe. Five stars and I love how customizable this was to make! Very fun.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Dani! Thank you for sharing how you modified this recipe.
Maria Cameron
This recipe was so delicious! I have never made quinoa before. I was concerned about it being boring so I googled some recipes and came across yours. It was fantastic. Will definitely be making again. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Maria! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
meera
Hi, what will you suggest replacing the sundried tomatoes with? I don’t always have SDT, but quinoa and spinach is ever ready in the fridge. Kindly tell. Love this one!!
Kate
The sun-dried tomatoes really make this dish. I would really recommend them.
Laura
So good!
★★★★★