Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella

Name: Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 5 -6
Ingredients: 3/4 C Quinoa (white, rinsed and drained); 1 1/2 C Water; 1 C Cherry Tomatoes (halved); 1/4 C Purple Onion (small dice, about 1/4 of an onion); 1 lb Shelling Peas (shelled, yielding about 1 C shelled (1 C frozen will work here too)); 1 C Yellow Bell Pepper (diced, about 1 pepper); 1 C Red Bell Pepper (diced, about 1 pepper); 1 1/2 C Zucchini (diced, about 1 zucchini); 1/8 C fresh Parsley (chopped); 3/4 C fresh Ciliegine Mozzarella (quartered (omit for vegan option)); 1/2 tsp Fine Sea Salt; 10 grinds of Pepper; 3 springs of Fresh Thyme for garnish; 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 tsp Garlic (minced); 1 1/2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar; 1/2 tsp Prepared Mustard; 1/2 tsp Oregano (dried); 1 tsp Lemon Juice

By Traci 42 Comments

A delicious, healthy and texture-rich quinoa salad made with the freshest farmers market finds! Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella is vegetarian + easily vegan + gluten-free and one of my favorite Quinoa recipes!

Quinoa Salad is Perfect for Warmer Weather:

Are y’all getting enough salad this summer? This Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella is sure to cool you off during the warmer months, no matter how hot it gets!

Quinoa is a delicious way to incorporate superfoods into your diet. Quiona, a protein-packed powerhouse, is a complete protein. This means that it includes all nine essential amino acids, which is a good thing for those limiting or excluding animal protein.

The interesting thing about quinoa is that it is not a grain; rather, it’s a seed of a plant that is related to spinach and Swiss chard. Quinoa relatively inexpensive, especially when bought in bulk and is widely available.

Farm Fresh:

The peas and zucchini in this salad come from my CSA share, and the cherry tomatoes and onion, from a farm in the lush and productive Skagit Valley. Whenever I can, I pick up my veggies from a local farmers market. I love the freshness of the food and the fact that it didn’t have to travel a long distance to reach my plate.

Shelling peas take a bit of time and attention, but fresh from the pod, those pease are so sweet and juicy! I timed myself this time to see how long it would take me to shuck 1 lb of shelling peas: 9 minutes. And this was with my sweet Claire Cat telling me she was hungry, a big distraction!

How to Make Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella:

This Market Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mozzarella is versatile in that is is perfect for any vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free diet. Simply omit the Mozzerella for a vegan option. And the dressing is made with a combination of garlic, balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, oregano, and extra virgin olive oil. Talk about tangy!

First: prepare the quinoa by rinsing then cooking it in water. Fluff with a fork and pop in the fridge to cool for about 20 minutes.
Second: shell your peas and blanch in boiling water. Plunge in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. Frozen peas are a fabulous stand in for fresh, and are handled the same. Blanch and cool.
Third: place your veggies including the cooled peas in a large bowl.
Fourth: add the cooled quinoa to the veggie mixture and season with sea salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, and drop in the mozzarella.
Last: pour in the homemade dressing and chill!

Why I use Ciliegine Mozzarella:

Fresh mozzarella is a funny thing. It comes in many different sizes, logs, balls, and pre-sliced logs, to suit your cravings. Ovolini is a variety for slicing and a good choice for Caprese salads and pizza. Bocconcini and Ciliegine are smaller, spherical forms with Ciliegine being the smaller of the two and is about the size of a small cherry tomato.

Ciliegine is the variety I use in this recipe due to its small size. I quarter the little Mozzarellas, in order to distribute their texture and flavor more evenly throughout the salad.

A Few Market Quinoa Salad Recipe Notes:

Blanching the peas yields a beautiful, vibrant green and makes them smooth and silky. If you are unable to find fresh peas, you can sub frozen peas.
This salad is best when enjoyed on the same day. Why? Zucchini is a high water content veggie, as are the tomatoes. So once the salt hits these veggies and it’s had time to set… it starts to get a bit soggy.
Make it Vegan! Simply leave the Mozzarella off the salad.

Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below! And let me see your creations by tagging me on Instagram!

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5 from 1 vote