10-Minute Italian Quinoa Salad with White Beans

It takes just 10 minutes to make this healthy Italian Quinoa Salad that’s full of nutritious quinoa, white beans, artichokes, tomatoes, and basil. Enjoy sweet summer flavors with minimal prep time for a healthy lunch or healthy side dish. Plus, it’s made with mostly pantry staples! 

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free

Happy Memorial Day! 

I just want to take a minute before diving fork-first into this heavenly Italian Quinoa Salad to call attention to what this weekend is about (yes, more than an extra day off from work and the unofficial start to summer!)…THANK YOU to those who served and still serve to keep our country safe, and your families!

Now to this Italian Quinoa Salad…

This recipe totally happened by accident. I’m going to keep this quick because well, SUNSHINE, but this salad was totally not planned. But those are the best sometimes, am I right?

You see, I hadn’t been food shopping in a while because of finals and I got hungry while studying (obvsss) and didn’t want to run out and ruin my groove (ya know?!), so I threw together a bunch of stuff I had lying around — marinated artichokes, roasted bell peppers, quinoa, white beans, some fresh tomatoes and bell peppers — and voila, lunch was served! 

Sometimes I just have to switch it up from my typical Greek Quinoa Salad that I eat nearly every day. 100% creature of habit…and now that habit may become this Italian Quinoa Salad!  

Sometimes I surprise myself.

In went the roasted bell pepper (jarred, in water), the marinated artichokes ((YUM-O)), and canned white cannelloni beans. I didn’t even need much of a dressing because the artichokes packed so much flavor. I combined this all with some fresh chopped tomato, bell pepper, and HERBS. 

Let’s talk herbs for a quick sec. They literally make the world go round. If you’re heating up a ((boring)) prepared/frozen/store bought meal, add some herbs and BAM…new dish! So don’t neglect the fresh parsley and basil here, plus some dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure some black or green olives would go well in here, but I didn’t have any around. But if I was to make this for entertaining, I’d totally throw a few sliced black olives in there! 

Annnndd back to the pool….

Don’t Forget to PIN IT…

SO simple (and meat-free!)!
XO

Looking for more quick, nutritious, and delicious recipes? Get your copy of Thrive in 5, my collection of 50 recipes you can make in 20 minutes or less, with just 5 ingredients each!