Spring is in the air with this Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing! With asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and a lemon basil dressing it will make you feel like the sun is shining more and more with every bite.
spring vegetable quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing

This salad is what happens when you force me to go vegan-by-association.

And then simultaneously throw brute force attacks on my website, tax day, and snow at me.

SNOW. In APRIL. If that’s not a cause for melodramatic quinoa consumption, then I don’t know what is.

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Of course, I followed it up with ice cream.

But that’s really neither here nor there.

Because, honestly, this salad is good enough for stress-eating all on it’s own! And that is truly saying something.

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As I mentioned yesterday, the.boy and his family do this whole Lent thing pretty hardcore: meatless Wednesdays and Fridays for all forty days, and then no meat or dairy during holy week.

While this would leave some people crying in a corner, I saw it as my own personal challenge to create something deliciously dairy-free.

Mission: accomplished.

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This quinoa salad is full of bright spring flavors, like sweet and tangy sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized roasted asparagus, briny olives, and a bright lemon basil dressing. Plus some steamed kale and tender chickpeas thrown in for virtuosity.

It tastes like a warm sunny day, and might even make you forget about that pile of snow you have to shovel off your car.

Let the melodramatic quinoa consumption ensue.

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Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing
 
Spring is in the air with this Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing! With asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and a lemon basil dressing it will make you feel like the sun is shining more and more with every bite.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil+1/4 cup olive oil, divided (or oil from sun-dried tomato jar)
  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped and steamed
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • ⅓ cup kalamata olives, halved
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup sliced basil
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 2 tsp honey
Instructions
  1. Rinse the quinoa well and then put it in a medium saucepan with the water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cooking for about 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked and water has evaporated. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 450.
  3. Arrange asparagus on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with the 2 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes. Let cool and then cut into 1-inch slices.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the quinoa, asparagus, kale, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  5. For the dressing, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, basil, garlic, and honey. Pulse until pureed. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Toss with the salad and serve at room temperature or slightly warm.
Notes
Adapted from Edible Perspective
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ of recipe

For more quinoa salads, check out these:

Crispy Quinoa and Power Greens Salad with Smoky Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Dried Plums, Quinoa, and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette

Broccoli and Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese

Strawberry Quinoa Salad from Damn Delicious

Spring Carrot, Radish and Quinoa Salad with Herbed Avocado from Cookie and Kate

Kale, Edamame and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette from Ambitious Kitchen

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67 Responses to Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

  1. Lynn says:

    This looks positively delicious! And it’s even cold again here (fireplace, heat is on, etc.) I’m always looking for more ways to incorporate quinoa, so I’ll try this.

  2. Tina Muir says:

    Yummy! Sounds wonderful, and the perfect meal for me in this point in my training. Love all the vegetables, and the quinoa gives lots of protein 🙂 I would also love to follow it up with ice cream 😛 There is absolutely nothing wrong with that 🙂

  3. This looks very hearty and delicious – love the idea of using quinoa on a green salad.

  4. OOh Just love all the ingredients in this one! Shame about snow in spring!

  5. Love this spring quinoa! Snow doesn’t sound like spring though, I hope it warms up for you soon!

  6. I still can’t get behind so many diet restrictions but this does look good!

  7. Megan says:

    I love your answer to the no meat/no dairy challenge! This quinoa salad definitely sounds so springy. Now if we could just get Mother Nature to try some. It’s only going to be 42 here today!

  8. Leah Davis says:

    This looks awesome! Great combo of flavors and beautiful colors! I can’t believe you guys are still getting snow. . . ugh! Hopefully this is the last of it!

  9. Oh man, you’re right! Such a Spring-y salad, and so yummy looking! Love it 🙂

  10. I’m digging the sundried tomatoes! Can’t wait for warmer temps to REALLY enjoy them haha.

  11. Yup the snow got nothing on me with this salad in hand. Nothing at all!!

  12. This looks delicious! I love all the flavors involved here. Off to my melodramatic quinoa consumption. 🙂

  13. I so wish I stress ate salad! What did I do yesterday when my website crashed? Get verrrryyyy cozy with a bag of cadbury eggs. I need this on hand next time disaster strikes. Hang in there girlie. Looks like you have a great dish at the ready!

  14. panic just ensued because I totally need to do my taxes….uh oh. p.s. this looks amazing.

  15. This is so pretty! This salad is a fabulous solution to your no meat and no dairy days. So perfect for spring (even though it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet ;)).

  16. Julia says:

    I’m Eater Brunching on both Saturday and Sunday, and I’m thinking I can like quadruple batch this recipe and bring it to all my affairs. This salad is exactly what I need at all moments in life. <- – – Not an overdramatization. 😉

  17. You’re such a good fiance 🙂 This salad looks awesome!

  18. My mouthing is watering just looking at the photos. I seriously can’t wait to try this!

  19. Snow yesterday was just ridiculous. I like the idea of having quinoa for dinner then following it up with ice cream. It’s all about balance!

  20. danielle says:

    Im a huge quinoa fan and cant wait to try it in salads. Your dressing sounds great too.

  21. Heather says:

    Snow in April is so wrong… I indulged in extra chocolate as we watched big flat flakes fall yesterday. Sigh.

  22. Shashi says:

    Quinoa and vegetables are a staple in my house! Love this colorful flavorful version with sun dried tomatoes and lemon basil dressing!

  23. I’ve been making this salad from Edible Perspective way too much since she posted it! Love that you added asparagus to the mix!

  24. cheri says:

    This is my kind of salad, love the veggie mix and the burst of flavor from the sun dried tomatoes.

  25. Emma says:

    This is exactly the kind of food I’m in the mood for these days. I’m obviously grateful that you challenged yourself to come up with a dairy-free recipe 🙂

  26. My kind of salad! This is so delicious and healthy!

  27. Kelli B says:

    This looks amazing! I’m definitely going to try this quinoa salad!

  28. Just bought some quinoa- definitely looking for some amazing recipe ideas! This brilliant, so the spring flavours and lemon basil dressing sounds divine!

  29. Kate says:

    I love quinoa dishes during Passover (minus the garbanzo beans, of course)

  30. sandra says:

    when growing up it was as likely to snow as to be 70 degrees on my birthday – the first week in April, so I am not that surprised, except that I am always surprised by the weather… and I hate surprises.

  31. This looks wonderful. I would be proud to put this on the table, so pretty. We are experimenting with quinoa now that we are adapting to gluten free meals. The first time we tried it was from a mix and the flavorings were bitter. This is certainly one i will try. Great post!

  32. Please and thank you! As you know I need more sunshine in my life- NY weather is NOT cooperating!

  33. if being vegan equates this salad, i could definitely do it for a week 🙂

  34. I am totally on board. We need more food that tastes like a warm sunny day since the weather is just not willing to cooperate. This salad would definitely do the trick to help me forgot about all the white stuff on the ground. Seriously, this salad doesn’t just sounds delicious, but it looks absolutely incredible – beautiful pictures, Joanne.

  35. Danguole says:

    “Vegan by association” <–love it. This does sound good enough to stress-eat on its own! When it's good, it's good, y'know? Vegan or not.

  36. Christine says:

    Since when did Lent involve meatless Wednesdays? And holy week was not all meatless and dairyless either. When I was growing up it only involved meatless Fridays. Well, you did very well with this salad. Great photos. But snow in mid-April? That would do me in.

  37. Everything about this salad screams spring! Love it!

  38. Susan says:

    I have really come to love quinoa – especially in salads. The lemon basil dressing in yours sounds so good along with all of those delicious veggies.

  39. What a delicious use of quinoa in salad, big fan of the lemon basil dressing too 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  40. Eileen says:

    Yes please! I bet this salad would be the perfect work lunch, with all that protein.

  41. Oh my goodness! This looks so good!

    I used to be really into doing that for lent, but for the past few years, I haven’t. But if my meals involved this, I don’t think I would mind too much!

  42. Veronica says:

    I love being challenged with restrictions b/c it gives me an opportunity to create new delicious things! What a wonderful recipe – I’m drooling!

  43. Wow wow wow!! You are speaking my love language!!

  44. Please Spring be here already! Thanks for this salad to encourage some better weather!

  45. we love your food clicks…and this quinoa salad with a flavorful citrus piquant dressing is so refreshing,light and scrumptious….a perfect lunch,thanks so much for sharing…Have A Great Day!!! 🙂

  46. This looks gooooorgeous. Even if it is snowing and the spring component is in taste and not season 😛 I’d say it’s an upside of your vegan by association scenario!

  47. Juliana says:

    Such a nice dish with quinoa, I love the idea of lots of veggies in it. Thanks for the inspiration Joanne, hope you are having a great week 😀

  48. Blond Duck says:

    It looks perfect for a luncheon!

  49. I only go meatless on Lent Fridays. And that’s difficult. I don’t know because I rarely eat meat. But then it’s restricted and uh oh I’m craving meat.:P

    Beautiful salad! The dressing sounds so perfect for spring.

  50. Hotly Spiced says:

    I’ve heard of a few places in the Northern Hemisphere where it’s still snowing. What a disgrace! You should be sunning yourself in Central Park by now. I grew up doing the Lent thing as well but we weren’t as hard-core. My mother is allergic to seafood so we never gave up eating meat. I think we did do some meatless meals as our sacrifice and then it was all joy when Easter Sunday arrived and we had everything we wanted including chocolate xx

  51. Are you in my brain? I’ve literally had chickpeas and quinoa for dinner for days now! This spring salad looks so delicious and I love the dressing! Especially since I have an overload of lemons right now!

  52. You’re seriously still getting snow? Oooh nooo …. that must be slightly depressing, but … at least you know now the end MUST be in sight (?!)
    Love this salad … great idea to combine asparagus with chickpeas and quinoa. Perfect idea for a work lunch that’s still good by lunchtime.
    Happy Easter, Joanne!

  53. This looks very similar to the type of quinoa toss-through that I take to work each day. Love the idea of the lemon-basil dressing, though. That’s new! Will be trying that soon 🙂

  54. I like that – “it makes you feel as thought the sun is shining more with ever bite”. I’m a natural light junkie, so praise to that. This is totally my go-to kind of meal. Love the lemon basil dressing!

  55. elizabeth e says:

    this looks so tasty! if i only make spring food, that means that spring is definitely here to stay, right? isn’t that how it works?

  56. Shannon says:

    mhm, that dressing! fabulous 🙂

  57. This salad looks delicious! I love quinoa and chickpeas and I can’t wait to give it a go! xx

  58. Ya. Um. All those years living in Minnesota, it would snow in May. IN MAY. I don’t miss that. In case you were wondering. This bowl of deliciousness needs to happen in my kitchen stat. Just constantly teasing me with the chickpeas, aren’t ya?

  59. OH beautiful quinoa salad with chickpeas adding the right mouthful of protein goodness!

  60. This is gorgeous! I’m always tempted to throw cheese into salads like this, but it looks like it’s great, even without.

  61. elly says:

    This looks great and I love the sound of the dressing. I used to do lent hardcore, even as a kid, but now I don’t do anything because I’m a little heathen. 😉

  62. […] Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing from Eats Well With Others Quinoa Salad with Baked Goat Cheese Rounds from Just A Taste Vegetarian Quinoa Salad from Around My Family Table Red Quinoa and Mango Salad from Taste Love + Nourish Curried Quinoa and Asparagus Salad from The Clever Carrot […]

  63. Courtney says:

    I love quinoa salads, and this one looks like just the sunshine we need on this cold (what?!) and rainy day.

  64. Laura says:

    Another winner. Pinning all the stuff I missed lol….

  65. […] Spring Vegetable Quinoa Salad by Joanne-Eats Well with Others […]

  66. […] new and healthy recipes. I got this recipe off of Pinterest, but it originates from Joanne of Joanne Eats Well With Others.  I will definitely be checking out her blog for more […]

  67. Just love these kind of recipes – simple, light, fast and delicious. Can’t wait to try this. Thanks!

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