Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad
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This Copycat Costco Salad takes about 20 minutes to make and is large enough for several meals. The dressing is a little tangy with just the right amount of sweetness. This zesty quinoa salad makes a great side year-round!
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I first started making this Costco quinoa salad copycat because the original is that good. This quinoa salad with lentils has become a regular in my meal prep salad rotation since it’s filling, tangy and takes almost no time to put together. It works as a side dish or the base for a make-ahead lunch all week.
I like using tri-color quinoa because it looks pretty, and honestly, I usually already have everything on hand. If you’re into quick tangy sides, my Asian Cucumber Salad is another five-minute favorite, and this same Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette would work drizzled over either one.
This easy salad takes about 20 minutes total to make and you can make it into a large salad easy but just doubling the recipe. It is a perfect recipe to make for summer parties or potlucks all year long!
What Makes This Recipe Great
- Quick and Easy: This salad comes together in just 20 minutes, making it a perfect choice for a fast and filling side dish or meal.
- Flavorful Dressing: The tangy white wine vinegar and honey dressing provides a delightful balance of acidity and sweetness to complement the other ingredients.
- Versatile and Customizable: The basic recipe can be easily adjusted to suit your tastes, with options to add more vegetables, meat, or switch up the herbs and seasonings.
- Makes Plenty: This salad recipe yields a large portion, making it ideal for meal prepping, potlucks, or feeding a crowd.
Star Ingredients
- Quinoa – Rinsing the quinoa under cold water for 1-2 minutes helps remove any bitterness. Quinoa comes in a variety of colours so keep it neutral or dress it up with the tri-color variety that has pops of red.
- Lentils – Canned lentils make this a quick and easy salad, but you can also use cooked dried lentils.
- Chopped Veggies– Using a mix of red and yellow bell peppers, cucumber and red onion adds bright color and flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Step-By-Step Made Simple
- Rinse 1 cup of quinoa under cold running water for a minute or two to remove the bitter taste quinoa can have.
- Add the rinsed cup of quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Once quinoa is done cooking and all water is absorbed fluff up the quinoa with a fork and put it into a medium bowl. Add the chopped bell peppers, lentils, cucumbers and onions.
- Costco’s version also has parsley but I am not a huge fan so I left it out. If you like it chop about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley and add to the bowl.
- In a small bowl add the oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over quinoa and lentil salad mixture and toss until well mixed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Tips
Here are some tips I’ve learned from making this quinoa salad recipe:
- Let it sit. I actually find that the longer this salad sits the better it tastes. Time in the fridge gives the quinoa a chance to absorb the flavors of the zesty dressing, peppers and onions.
- Add chicken or beef. For those who like to prep their meals on the weekends, I highly recommend making it ahead for the week. Add some chicken, chickpeas, or beans and this makes a great lunch!
- Switch out the sweetener. Substitute the honey for maple syrup or your favorite sweetener. The honey just takes a bit of the bite out of the vinegar so the type of sweetener is really not that important to the flavor.
Leftovers? No Problem!
Refrigerate: This copycat Costco quinoa salad will keep fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavors actually continue to develop and meld together the longer it sits.
Do Not Freeze: While the quinoa salad stores well in the fridge, I would not recommend freezing it. The delicate textures of the quinoa, vegetables, and dressing are likely to become compromised when thawed. For best quality and texture, enjoy this salad within 5 days of making it.
Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- ¾ cup lentils canned
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cup red and or yellow sweet bell peppers chopped
- 1 cup cucumber chopped (peel on)
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa under cold water for 1-2 minutes
- Add quinoa to boiling water.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered for 12-15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with fork.
- While quinoa is cooking chop red onion, bell peppers and cucumber.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, honey. I add about a tsp of each of salt and pepper or to taste and mix well.
- Once quinoa is complete remove from stove and empty into a large bowl
- Add peppers, lentils, cucumber, onion and oil and vinegar mixture and mix well
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Video
Nutrition
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
loved it. had leftover quinoa & this was perfect.
How many peppers? It’s not in the recipe. Is anything else missing?
This recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of chopped pepper which is about 1 pepper chopped.
Great salad! There’s something about the texture of quinoa that I just love. That, mixed with fresh veggies and a zesty vinaigrette is a winning combo (just like the Costco salad!)