Rainbow Kale & Quinoa Salad

Kale & quinoa salad is hearty, veggie-packed, and bursting with nourishing ingredients! Drizzled with a white wine vinaigrette, it's full of fresh flavor and texture. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly!

From our staple kale salad to kale caesar salad, and this delicious kale & quinoa salad - we are BIG fans of kale here at Sweet Peas & Saffron!

This kale & quinoa salad is going to be your new go-to recipe when you need something that is refreshing, customizable and absolutely refreshing.

Topped with white wine vinaigrette and feta cheese, this salad is very flexible and can be customized to your liking (see suggestions below)! Best of all, it's quick to put together, and ingredients can be prepped ahead for meal prep.

Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see how to assemble this kale & quinoa salad! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Ingredient Notes

• kale - we used curly kale in these photos, but you can use almost any type of kale in this recipe, from curly to lacinato kale, or even baby kale.
• quinoa - we like to cook it up in the rice cooker, but you can also prep quinoa on the stovetop. We used white quinoa, but you could also use tri-color quinoa (they cook up the same)
• veggies - we're using bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion for a Mediterranean vibe! See variations below for more veggies you could include or swap.
• white wine vinaigrette - a go-to staple! This white wine vinaigrette is neutral and goes well on pretty much any salad, including this one.

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Step by step directions

Cook Quinoa

Ways you can cook it:

1. perfect fluffy stovetop quinoa
2. in the Instant Pot
3. in a rice cooker

Once cooked, you will want to allow the quinoa to fully cool before assembling the salad.

Prepare Kale

Tear kale into bite-size pieces, wash, then spin dry. See more specific tips below.

Follow these important steps to ensure your kale is mild, sweet, and easy to chew:

1. Remove the leaves from the stem, either by tearing them off with your hands or carefully cutting the leaves off with a small knife
2. Tear the kale up into bite-sized pieces.
3. Fill a large bowl or salad spinner with water. Press the kale down into the water, moving it around to knock any dirt or debris from the kale.
4. Drain the kale well; using a salad spinner is easiest. Alternatively, you can arrange the kale leaves on a clean kitchen towel, then roll it up tightly to help absorb moisture from the leaves.
5. Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes before adding to the salad. This is important to help remove the tough texture that raw kale can tend to have, and helps remove the natural bitterness that kale can hold! To massage the kale, take clean, washed kale, and massage in your hands for 2-3 minutes, until kale becomes soft and bright green

Shake Up Vinaigrette

In a salad dressings shaker or ½ pint jar, combine olive oil, white wine, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dijon. Shake until completely mixed.

Combine

Assemble the salad ingredients including quinoa, kale, chopped bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese. Drizzle with the dressing, toss, and enjoy!

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Variations

In addition to the toppings listed, you can really get creative here and add in some other ingredients you might have in the fridge:

• sliced cucumbers
• olives
• sun dried tomatoes
• fresh herbs such as basil or oregano
• swap the vinagrette for our red wine vinaigrette
• add chickpeas for extra protein, or top with falafel to make it a complete meal

FAQ

Meal Prep + Storage

This kale & quinoa salad is best served fresh, however, you can prep some of the components 4-5 days ahead.

1. Quinoa- Cook quinoa, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
2. Kale- Shred, wash, dry kale. Store in a container lined with a paper towel in the fridge for up to 7 -10 days
3. Vinaigrette- Shake up the salad dressing and store separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
4. Veggies- Chop up the veggies including cucumber, bell peppers, red onion. Cherry tomatoes should be added fresh, as their texture goes downhill when pre-cut. Store chopped veggies for 4-5 days.
5. To serve- combine the kale, quinoa, veggies, and top with feta and white wine vinaigrette

Store - once the salad is assembled, it should be eaten within 6-8 hours. After 24 hours, we find it tends to go a little soggy and isn't quite as fresh!

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