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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.
Prep Time
5
minutes
mins
Cook Time
15
minutes
mins
Chilling time
1
hour
hr
Total Time
20
minutes
mins
Course:
Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine:
American, Italian
Diet:
Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Servings:
12
Servings (0.5 cups each)
Author:
Laura
Equipment
measuring spoons
measuring cups
spatula
glass batter bowl
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)
US Customary
-
Metric
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.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not freeze.
Nutrition
Serving:
0.5
Cup
|
Calories:
107
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
10.6
g
|
Protein:
2.6
g
|
Fat:
6.3
g
|
Saturated Fat:
1.2
g
|
Polyunsaturated Fat:
0.7
g
|
Monounsaturated Fat:
3.4
g
|
Cholesterol:
3.3
mg
|
Sodium:
60
mg
|
Potassium:
71.4
mg
|
Fiber:
1.1
g
|
Sugar:
2.4
g
|
Vitamin A:
335
IU
|
Vitamin C:
5
mg
|
Calcium:
31
mg
|
Iron:
0.7
mg