Fennel and Pomegranate Quinoa Salad
A bright, flavorful fennel & pomegranate quinoa salad recipe that is so simple to throw together and is a perfect make ahead holiday side dish! Filled with crunchy fennel, radish and celery, with sweet pomegranates and fresh mint.
Servings: 6
Calories: 288kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 1 fennel bulb (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons fennel fronds (coarsely chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- ¼ cup mint leaves (torn into small pieces)
- 1 pomegranate (deseeded)
- 1 bunch radishes (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- ½ cup pecans (chopped; toast for extra flavor)
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed; or swap maple syrup)
- ½ teaspoon dijon
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package directions.
- While quinoa is cooking, prep your salad ingredients.
- Shake together the dressing.
- Toss everything together and serve.
Video
Notes
Storage:
You can pre-cook the quinoa, pre-chop the veggies and shake up the vinaigrette up to 4 days ahead of time. Store components in the fridge, and toss together just before serving. *do not pre-chop the mint*
Leftovers from this pomegranate quinoa salad make for a delicious lunch, and it keeps well even after dressing in the vinaigrette. Portion out into meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. *if you plan to eat this as leftovers, consider leaving the mint off as it will brown*
Ingredient swaps
- quinoa- swap for rice, farro or barley
- pomegranate- swap for dried cranberries or chopped apple
- fennel- swap for cucumber (will not work for meal prep this way), or just increase the radish + celery
- pecans- swap for almonds or chopped hazelnuts
- apple cider vinaigrette- swap for balsamic vinaigrette or this honey lemon vinaigrette
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of batch | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 88mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g