Healthy and easy Red Quinoa Beet Salad is a delicious make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for any meal and ready in less than 20 minutes! Don’t miss this simple and refreshing side dish great for meal planning.
Red Quinoa Beet Salad is the one dish that is always in my fridge. Great on it’s own or as a side, this dish seems to get better the longer it sits.
If you’ve never used Steamed and Peeled Beets before, this is a great dish to try it out on. Also, if you don’t have access to red quinoa, substituting regular quinoa is fine. You can buy Red Quinoa on Amazon at Pride Of India Organic Red Royal Quinoa – a great price for a 1.5 pound container!
Trader Joe’s is a great place to find the ingredients for Red Quinoa Beet Salad and as they always have the peeled and vacuum sealed beets in their produce section and red quinoa on the shelves.
Red quinoa is another tasty ingredient that you should buy whenever you find it. It’s a hearty grain that is more flavorful than traditional quinoa. However, if you can’t find red quinoa, traditional quinoa is a great substitute.
For another easy to make beet salad, check out my Beet Salad with Feta and Celery.
Red Quinoa Beet Salad
This recipe is super easy and fast to put together. Firstly, cook the red quinoa using either broth or water. Quinoa is fast to make too. Just combine one part of quinoa to two parts water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
Let the quinoa sit and cool slightly while you prepare the remaining ingredients. You could even make the quinoa a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.
Then, dice the beets and celery. For the beets, just cut in half and dice into about inch long chunks. With celery, slice in half lengthwise, then dice.
The feta can either be crumbled or diced, depending on what you have on hand. I always seem to have the large feta container from Costco that just lets you shake and add crumbles. However, fresh block feta is ideal if you can find it.
Lastly, add the dressing to the red quinoa beet salad. Here there is no need to make the lemon/olive oil dressing in a separate bowl. You can just toss it with the salad.
Let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Can be make up to a day in advance.
This simple salad would be great served with Grilled Marinated Chicken or Grilled Chicken Kabob Skewers. Great served cold or at room temperature. Enjoy this healthy make-ahead dish any time of the year!
Simple and Healthy Side Dishes
If you love simple and healthy side dishes, be sure to check out these fan favorite recipes:
Broccoli Cranberry Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Greek Pasta Salad with Whole Wheat Pasta
Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans and Corn
Kale Quinoa Salad with Golden Raisins
I hope you love this healthy Red Quinoa Beet Salad. Be sure to comment below if you try it. Enjoy!
Red Quinoa Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried red quinoa
- 2 cups chicken broth could also substitute water
- 1 8 ounce package baby beets, steamed and peeled, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse the red quinoa with water and drain. Bring broth or water to a boil, add in quinoa and reduce to simmer. Cover and cook according to package directions, about 15 minutes. When done, set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, diced beets, celery, feta, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Emily
I’ve been trying to eat more quinoa lately and this is one of my favorite quinoa recipes I’ve tried so far! Love the combo of beets and quinoa!
Cathleen
I wish I saw this earlier because I have all of the ingredients and I was looking for something to make for lunch. Bookmarked to make tomorrow, thanks so much for the recipe!
angelakallison
You’re going to love it!
Beth
We love trying new and healthy recipes. Such a great and very tasty salad! I will definitely be making this again!
angelakallison
So happy you loved it! 🙂
Tara
Such a wonderful use for beets! That texture sounds amazing with the red quinoa and I love how the salad can be prepared ahead of time. Yum!
Jessica Formicola
I love beets, so this salad is right up my alley! Definitely giving it a try for lunch this week!