Quinoa Arugula Salad with Pineapple

An irresistibly fresh vegetarian and gluten free salad with quinoa, arugula, fresh pineapple, bell pepper, and a mint lime dressing.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings people as a side

Calories 203kcal

Author Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Ingredients

⅔ cup dry quinoa to yield ~2 cups cooked quinoa
1.5 cups water
2 cups pineapple chopped
1 bell pepper deseeded and chopped
2 cups baby arugula loosely packed, more to taste

For the dressing:

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh mint chopped
2 limes juiced
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

Combine the dry quinoa and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, and then lower heat to a simmer for 12-15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat.
While the quinoa is cooking, chop the pineapple and bell pepper. Whisk together the olive oil, mint, lime juice, and honey.
Combine the cooked quinoa, pineapple, bell pepper, and arugula in a large bowl. Pour in the dressing and mix until well combined. Feel free to add salt, more arugula, or any of the other ingredients to taste.
Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If you don't mind the quinoa slightly warm, you can serve right away, but this tastes best slightly chilled.

Notes

If you already have prepared quinoa on hand, measure out 2 cups to use in this salad. You can store the finished salad in the fridge in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days.

Nutrition