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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

May 23, 2023 by Alea Milham 12 Comments

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Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa Salad Recipe - A delicious twist on broccoli salad. Serve as a side dish at a potluck or as a a meal for lunch
This broccoli and quinoa salad recipe is made with bacon and nuts.
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This Broccoli and Quinoa Salad Recipe is a delicious twist on broccoli salad!

Easy Make-Ahead Broccoli and Quinoa salad Recipe. Quinoa makes a hearty addition to broccoli salad. Includes broccoli, quinoa, apple, pecans, bacon, and onions.

Earlier this week I was rummaging through the pantry and found a stash of quinoa. And since then we have basically been living off of quinoa and whatever produce I have on hand. I am trying to disguise the fact that I keep feeding my family the same thing every night by altering the flavors: Quinoa and Avocado Salad, Asian Quinoa Salad, Southwest Quinoa Salad…I don’t think I am fooling anyone, but nobody is complaining so I am continuing my pattern with Broccoli and Quinoa Salad.

Easy Broccoli and Quinoa salad Recipe. Quinoa makes a hearty addition to broccoli salad. Includes broccoli, quinoa, apple, pecans, bacon, and onions.

You can make the broccoli and quinoa salad recipe with any type of quinoa. I have made it with white quinoa, red quinoa(pictured below), and black quinoa. I like the visual contrast of the red or black quinoa, but they all taste great.

Broccoli and Quinoa Salad recipe

The quinoa, with its nutty flavor and crunchy texture, was a natural addition to my Nutty Broccoli Salad. I used mayonnaise in the dressing, but you could replace it with plain yogurt to create a low-fat dressing.

Broccoli and Quinoa Salad Recipe

Prep-Ahead Tip: You can make the quinoa ahead of time. You can also cook the bacon in advance and chop the vegetables, so you can quickly assemble the salad.

Make-Ahead Tip: You can make the salad the day before and let it chill overnight.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups water
5 cups broccoli florets
1 medium apple, diced
1/2 cup pecans
1 small onion, chopped
6 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 celery stalks, sliced

Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette (I used Annie’s Naturals because it is gluten-free)
3 tablespoons honey

Directions:

  1. Add quinoa and water to a large pot. Cook over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil. Lower flame, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  2. Place quinoa in the refrigerator to cool.
  3. While the quinoa is cooling cook the bacon and then crumble it.
  4. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
  5. Once the quinoa had cooled, add the vegetables.
  6. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggies. Toss to coat.
  7. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to serve it chilled.

Printable Recipe for Broccoli and Quinoa Salad

Quick and Easy Broccoli Quinoa Salad Recipe
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Broccoli and Quinoa Salad Recipe

An easy make-ahead broccoli salad with quinoa.
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Broccoli and Quinoa Salad Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours hours
Total Time 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
Servings 8
Calories 498kcal
Author Alea Milham

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups quinoa
  • 3 cups water
  • 5 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 medium apple diced
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 6 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 2 celery stalks sliced

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
  • 3 tablespoons honey

Instructions

  • Add quinoa and water to a large pot. Cook over a medium-high flame until it reaches a boil. Lower flame, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Place quinoa in the refrigerator to cool.
  • While the quinoa is cooling cook the bacon and then crumble it.
  • Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Once the quinoa had cooled, add the vegetables.
  • Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggies. Toss to coat.
  • Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to serve it chilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 467mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

Don’t worry, I found lots of rice and beans in my pantry inventory, so I won’t make my family live on quinoa forever.

More Quinoa Recipes:

How to Cook Quinoa

Quinoa and Avocado Salad

Southwest Quinoa Salad

 

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Mandy says

    March 21, 2017 at 6:13 am

    Have you made this the day before serving? How well would it save? I have an event that I need to make dishes ahead of time and I just wondered. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Alea Milham says

      March 22, 2017 at 11:07 am

      Yes, you can make it the day before.

      Reply
  2. Marie says

    March 3, 2017 at 6:28 am

    I love how easily this comes together! Hello this year’s Easter side dish! Thanks for sharing your recipe with us at Merry Monday this week.

    Reply
  3. Lauren says

    March 1, 2017 at 7:36 am

    YUM! I have all of these ingredients right now. I am always looking for new salad/dinner recipes. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Lucinda Nutting says

    March 16, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    I LOVE broccoli salad and can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks so much 🙂

    Reply
  5. Kathia Pinto says

    February 16, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Love this recipe! The many uses for quinoa is just a great idea. I know that I can use it to make some recipes and meals for the week!! Let us see how it turns out!
    #SITSblogging

    Kathia

    Reply
  6. Veronica says

    January 12, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    OMG sooooo good

    Reply
  7. Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry says

    April 30, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    I am a huge fan of quinoa in salad and this dish looks delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays! Be sure to check back next week for recipe highlights (including the top 3 reader choice submissions and hostess favorites).

    Be Well!

    Reply
  8. April @ The 21st Century Housewife says

    April 26, 2012 at 12:24 am

    Your broccoli and quinoa salad sounds so healthy and delicious! I really like the addition of the bacon for its lovely salty flavour and the pecans because they are my favourite 🙂

    Reply
  9. Elsa says

    April 24, 2012 at 9:31 am

    Great idea! I make broccoli salad a lot, but it seems to lack ingredients (and we don’t eat bacon, so that means it hardly contains anything). I can’t wait to give this a try.

    Reply
  10. Judy@Savoring Today says

    April 21, 2012 at 9:43 am

    I like quinoa, it is such a versatile and easy side dish. This looks great.

    Reply
  11. Cindy says

    April 20, 2012 at 9:08 am

    My family loves broccoli salad. Adding quinoa was a really good idea. I’ve been looking for ways to use up that Costco-sized bag of quinoa in my freezer.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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