The summer is the perfect time to sink your teeth into this quinoa pasta salad topped with a homemade lemon dill vinaigrette. Everything is gluten free and good for you, so dig in! This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
If you’re looking for a delicious summer salad that is filling and nutritious, look no further than this quinoa pasta salad recipe, filled with brown rice noodles, tri-colored quinoa, and a slew of fresh vegetables.
The salad is topped with a homemade lemon dill vinaigrette that is bright, citrusy and oh-so-tangy too.
The salad is ultra filling thanks to both the brown rice pasta and tri-colored quinoa. The brown rice pasta adds bite and bulk to the summery salad while the tri-colored quinoa adds beauty, along with plant-based protein that helps you feel full longer.
Quinoa is naturally gluten free and considered a complete protein. This means it contains all nine amino acids, which are the building blocks for life. Amino acids help to build cells and muscles, repair tissues, boost the immune system, and fuel the body. Quinoa is also a fantastic source of fiber, calcium, folate, magnesium, zinc and iron.
When adding vegetables to your salad, simply add what you like or have on hand. I always make this salad, or my gluten-free pasta salad, when I need to use up extra vegetables in my fridge before they go bad.
And feel free to enjoy this quinoa pasta salad for a variety of occasions. It’s perfect for:
- Potluck dinners
- Backyard barbeques
- Side dish
- School lunches
- Meal prep lunches
- Gluten-free snack when hunger strikes in the late afternoon
How to Make Quinoa Pasta Salad
If you’re ready to make this beautiful and filling salad, you’ll want to gather all your ingredients and roll up your sleeves. Here’s what you need, and what you need to do.
For the Lemon Dill Vinaigrette:
Combine the following ingredients in a glass jar and mix it all together. You’ll use all of the vinaigrette to dress the quinoa pasta salad.
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon (about 1 1/2 lemons)
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
For the Quinoa Pasta Salad:
Prepare the tri-colored quinoa by combining 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low until the quinoa is cooked through and no water remains.
I highly recommend using tri-colored quinoa because it has more of a bite to it, and it adds beauty to the overall pasta salad. Many brands make tri-colored quinoa and you can easily find it at your local grocery mart.
Now it’s time to prepare your vegetables. Feel free to swap any of these vegetables for ones you like more or have on hand already. You can’t go wrong!
- 2 cups cucumbers, diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 6 ounce can of black olives, drained and sliced in half
Combine the cooked pasta, cooked quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and black olives in a large bowl.
Top the salad with the homemade lemon dill vinaigrette and mix well. Add more salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.
Serve this gorgeous summer salad right away (when it’s a little warm) or refrigerate it for several hours or overnight to serve later. Store leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for 3-4 days. Enjoy!
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Quinoa Pasta Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Lemon Dill Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon about 1 1/2 lemons
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp salt more to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
For the Quinoa Pasta Salad:
- 1 cup tri-colored quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 12 ounces gluten-free brown rice pasta cooked as directed on the packaging
- 2 cups cucumbers diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes diced
- 1 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 6 ounce can of black olives drained and sliced in half
Instructions
- Prepare the vinaigrette by combining all the vinaigrette ingredients in a glass jar and mixing well. Set aside.
- Prepare the quinoa by combining 1 cup of quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low until the quinoa is cooked through and no water remains. Remove from heat.
- Combine the cooked pasta, cooked quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and black olives in a large bowl. Top with vinaigrette and mix well.
- Serve the quinoa pasta salad right away or refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Store leftovers in a sealed container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
I made this for my family! It was absolutely delicious and everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe!