Balsamic Caprese Quinoa Salad
This balsamic caprese quinoa salad recipe is a delicious summer side dish or light meal! Loaded with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese, it's a healthy & refreshing gluten-free salad that takes 20 minutes to prepare.
Servings: 12 Servings (0.5 cups each)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quinoa (uncooked)
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 8 ounces pearl mozzarella
- ½ cup fresh basil (chiffonade)
- ¼ cup green onions (sliced)
Balsamic Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ Tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Garnish
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
Cook the Quinoa
- Bring 1 ½ cups of water and ¼ tsp salt to a boil.
- Add quinoa, cover and return to a boil.
- Once mixture is boiling, turn heat to simmer.
- Simmer on low, covered, for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes turn off the heat, stir the quinoa, and return the lid to the pot.
- Let the quinoa sit covered for 15 more minutes.
- After 15 minutes, transfer cooked quinoa to a large bowl to cool.
Make the Balsamic Dressing
- Add dressing ingredients in a glass jar or bowl.
- Shake or whisk to combine, set aside.
Assemble
- Add tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and green onions to the cooled quinoa in a large bowl with a lid.
- Add dressing and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Serve cold.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Quinoa. If desired, you can use a different pasta or rice (try caprese orzo salad and caprese pasta salad).
- Pearl Mozzarella. If you can't find pearl mozzarella, regular fresh mozzarella chopped into small pieces works well.
- Cherry Tomatoes. choose your favorite tomato variety.
- Green Onions. Choose any variety of onions, or omit if desired.
- Maple Syrup. Honey is a great substitute for pure maple syrup.
- Olive oil. Avocado oil also works well in this recipe.
- Mustard. choose your favorite variety, I recommend Dijon mustard.
- Minced garlic. a pinch of garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5Cup | Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.6g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 6.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 3.3mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 71.4mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 2.4g | Vitamin A: 335IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.7mg