Caprese quinoa salad

This caprese quinoa salad is a delicious, light & healthy salad that's perfect for a picnic, lunchbox or as a side to many a meal. It's easy to make and just what your summer menu needs.

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I'm sure like many people, we tend to change more to lighter foods in the summer, both to not warm up the kitchen too much but also because it feels a better fit. Especially at lunchtime, I'm not feeling like all that much if it's hot outside.

At the same time, though, there's a balance between nothing too heavy and not going so light that your hungry again in no time. That's when things like this quinoa salad are perfect.

It's not too heavy, full of delicious fresh flavors and yet filling enough to power you through the rest of the day. It's a wonderful mix of textures and colors, and better yet it's healthy and easy.

A twist on a classic combination

Caprese salad is named after the island of Capri in Italy which is likely where this salad originates. It's a wonderfully simple combination of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil dressed simply with a good extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. It's all about letting great ingredients shine.

The ingredients are those of the Italian flag and it's a favorite across the country and beyond. In the US, it has become common to add balsamic vinegar which while it can be tasty, can distract from the other flavors. It's certainly not traditional, with balsamic being from a different region.

These days, you'll find variations on the theme either adding other ingredients like peach or avocado, or adding the flavors to other dishes like pasta or chicken, for example. This quinoa salad is another lovely way to enjoy the flavors in a slightly more filling way. I've used my lemon basil vinaigrette to bring everything together with lovely fresh flavor.

How to make this colorful quinoa salad

This salad is really easy to put together and can be made partly ahead of time as well.

• Bring quinoa and water to a boil and simmer until it opens up the tendrils. Allow to cool.
• Mix up the dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, Dijon mustard and thinly sliced basil.
• Chop the tomato, and mozzarella and add to cooled quinoa.
• Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad then toss gently to mix.

I'd suggest cherry tomatoes as they have a great flavor, along with small mozzarella balls, as both involve less chopping to get bite sized chunks. However, larger of both also work.

I like to think of this as a base recipe that you can easily add to, as suits how you are serving it. It's great as a simple side, just as it is, if you are serving it with for example a steak or grilled chicken. But you could also add a few things to bulk it out and make it more of a lunch in itself, too.

Try adding some diced avocado, cucumber, toasted pine nuts or almonds. I've added some diced roasted beet in there in the past, too, which works well (and turns the quinoa a bit pink!). You could also add chickpeas, some chopped spinach or arugula.

Preparing ahead options

You can make this salad ahead of time to a point, but quinoa tends to act as a bit of a sponge, so it can actually dry and the flavors aren't as good if it's made too far ahead in full.

However you can make the quinoa ahead and store it in the fridge a day or two, and you can also chop the tomatoes and mozzarella ahead as well.

I'd recommend you keep the components separate and at least keep around half the vinaigrette to pour over shortly before serving. But it is fine to mix an hour or two ahead and take eg to a picnic or potluck. If you feel it needs a little boost after sitting, you can always stir in a little pesto for extra basil and all round flavor.

This caprese quinoa salad is light and flavorful and makes a great side or potluck dish. Especially on a warm day, it's great for giving you some energy without being too heavy. It's a delicious summery salad that's well worth enjoying soon.

Try more quinoa salad ideas:

• Raw beet quinoa salad (bright and with lovely earthy flavors)
• Steak and quinoa bowl (perfect for leftover steak, and with a delicious mix of veg and a bright dressing, too)
• Roasted butternut squash quinoa salad (packed with colorful autumnal flavors)
• And I love the sound of this Thai quinoa salad from A Spicy Perspective.
• Plus get more summer recipes from mains to drinks, sides and more in the archives. 

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated, primarily with new photos, additional tips and a few recipe tweaks.

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