Name: Pizza Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup olive oil; ¼ cup balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon water; 1 ½ teaspoon sugar; ¾ teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ¼ teaspoon thyme; ¼ teaspoon basil; ¼ teaspoon red peppers flakes; 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper; 3 cups cooked quinoa; 2 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered); 1 cup shredded mozzarella; ½ cup mild cheddar cheese; 1 bell pepper (diced); 1/2 cup red onion; 3.8 ounces can of sliced black olives (drained); 1 cup sliced mushrooms; 1 cup mini pepperoni slices

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This pizza quinoa salad is an easy make-ahead recipe that is both tasty and filling.

A healthy lunch is the goal. But salads can be tricky to make in advance on meal prep Sunday and keep it from wilting while sitting in the refrigerator all week. This pizza quinoa salad recipe from my cookbook Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches is a salad that you can make-ahead and know that it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days without wilting! Even better it is flavorful and filling, so you won’t feel deprived while eating a healthy salad for lunch.

Tips for Preventing Wilted Salads

Many lettuces wilt when exposed to dressings or the juices from the other vegetables, so use firmer greens such as kale, Swiss chard, or cabbage that can better stand up to liquids.

Limit the juices from other ingredients. Use whole cherry tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes. Use vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, celery, and snap peas that don’t release as much juice.

Skip the greens and use quinoa, beans, or lentils as the base and then add your sturdier vegetables to create a hearty salad that won’t wilt.

Cool cooked items such as quinoa, rice, beans, lentils, and meat before adding them to your salad.

If using more fragile salad greens, Don’t add the dressing until just before serving. You can store your dressing in a separate container. You can also layer your salad, so the dressing is on the bottom and separated from the lettuces by a layer of non-absorbent ingredients such as firm vegetables, cheese, or meat. Then you can stir your salad to coat it with dressing before you eat it.

You can find a variety of easy make-ahead salad recipes in my cookbook Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches.

Batch Cooking Quinoa

I batch cook quinoa to use in a variety of recipes throughout the week. If you already have cooked quinoa on hand, this salad recipe will come together in minutes. If you don’t have cooked quinoa, here are several ways to cook quinoa, so you can pick a method that works for you. My favorite method is cooking quinoa in a pressure cooker. The video below demonstrates how to cook quinoa in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.