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5
/5
25 minutes

Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad in a Jar

Gluten Free Gluten Free Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard4 Comments
Posted: 6/22/17 Updated: 12/17/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This strawberry spinach quinoa salad in a jar is the perfect fresh summer meal prep lunch! Spend a bit of time prepping your lunches on the weekend and you'll be the envy of your office.

Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad in a glass mason jar

Summer is here...officially here!!

Summer to me means berries and corn and berries and cherries and berries and peaches. And more berries.

I have a little thing for berries. I put them in my parfaits and my vinaigrettes and my smoothies, but they are best eaten fresh, just as they were intended.

So to ring in the official start of summer, I'm sharing this summery strawberry spinach quinoa salad in a jar recipe with you today!

overhead shot of strawberries and blueberries being washed in a white bowl

Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad in four glass mason jars

Today's strawberry spinach quinoa salad in a jar was adapted ever so slightly from the recipe in my 30 Minute Dinners eCookbook.

For one thing, I served them in jars to make them meal prep appropriate (this keeps the berries and spinach out of the vinaigrette until just before serving). I added some blueberries. And I upped the dressing a touch because it got a little stuck in the jar and didn't coat the salad quite as well as the original did.

But other than that, I stayed true to the original recipe: berries, quinoa, feta cheese, chicken and spinach plus a dreamy poppyseed dressing. I think you're going to like this one.

Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad served in a blue bowl

close up shot of Strawberry Spinach Quinoa Salad in blue bowl

Now to make sure your perfect summer berries stay fresh until day 4, I have a little tip for you: vinegar wash. Soak them in 1 part vinegar, 3 parts water for 5 minutes before rinsing and allowing to dry. This kills off any things that might...grow...on your strawb's and your blueb's.

It's a little extra effort but it will ensure that your salad will still be super tasty after 4 days.

More tips for your perfect strawberry spinach quinoa salad in a jar:

  • I use pint sized mason jars, you do need to pack everything in but they are the perfect portion size! When you're ready to serve, shake everything out into a large bowl and mix it up.
  • use your rice cooker to cook the quinoa while you focus your attention on the other parts of the recipe
  • try these Southwestern Sweet Potato Jar Salads or these Asian Chicken Mason Jar Salads for more jar salad recipes!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

close up of a mason jar with strawberry spinach quinoa jar salad

Strawberry Quinoa Spinach Jar Salads

5 from 2 votes
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Print Rate
This strawberry spinach quinoa salad in a jar is the perfect fresh summer meal prep lunch!  Spend a bit of time prepping your lunches on the weekend and you'll be the envy of your office.
4

Ingredients

Salad

  • ⅔ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 6 cups spinach
  • 2 cups sliced strawberries
  • ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
  • ¼ cup red onion diced

Chicken

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • salt & pepper

Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • fresh ground pepper

Instructions 

  • Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
  • While quinoa is cooking, pre-heat the oven to 425°F. In a small baking dish, combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place the chicken breasts in the dish, turning to coat in olive oil/balsamic. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Place chicken in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for 10-15 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Assemble jar salads by dividing ingredients between four 1-pint jars in the following order: vinaigrette, chicken, quinoa, berries, feta, red onion and spinach.
  • Storage:Seal and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To serve:Shake out jar contents into a large bowl. Mix to combine all ingredients with the vinaigrette and enjoy!

Tips:

I recommend soaking your berries in 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water to keep your berries fresh for longer. Rinse and allow to dry on a towel before packing into the jars.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1jar salad, Calories: 463kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 289mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Recipe Rating




  1. Karey says

    Posted on 11/4/19 at Posted on 11/4/19

    I plan to substitute firm tofu for the chicken. After some searching I found that a boneless chicken breast is about 5.25 oz. in volume (not weight). Thus I plan to use 1-1/4 cups of cubed tofu in the marinade. Can't wait!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/13/19 at Posted on 11/13/19

      I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Ashleigh says

    Posted on 7/19/17 at Posted on 7/19/17

    5 stars
    I wasn't sure how I felt about strawberries in a salad but wow - this lunch is one of my favouites on your site! I want to say a hughe thank you for your lunch prep recipes.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 7/19/17 at Posted on 7/19/17

      Hi Ashleigh, I'm so glad you enjoyed the salad! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Denise

Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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