Recipe Overview
Tuscan Quinoa Salad is a fresh and modern Mediterranean-style salad built around light texture, bright acidity, and clean vegetable flavor. The quinoa provides a gentle nutty base while baby heirloom tomatoes, Persian cucumber, celery, basil, and red onion create lift, crunch, and color. A simple dressing of red wine vinegar and DOP extra-virgin olive oil keeps the salad elegant and easy to serve.
Why This Salad Works
The combination of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, aromatic basil, and nutty quinoa makes the salad feel both nourishing and refreshing. It stays light while still presenting beautifully on the plate.
Best Kitchen Use
This recipe works very well for wellness menus, vegan stations, summer buffets, picnic-style presentations, plated lunch service, or as a colorful side salad in larger Mediterranean spreads.
Ingredients
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Cooked Quinoa — 57 g — cooked, cooled and fluffed; optionally prepared in Carta Fatacooked_quinoa
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Baby Heirloom Tomatoes — 90 g — assorted; halvedheirloom_tomato
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Persian Baby Cucumber — 80 g — slicedpersian_cucumber
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Red Onion — 18 g — thinly shavedTC-VEG-ONION-RED
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Celery Stalk — 40 g — finely choppedVEG-CEL-001
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Fresh Basil Leaves — 8 g — torn just before serviceHERB-BASIL-FRESH-001
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Red Wine Vinegar — 15 gVINEGAR-RED-WINE-0001
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DOP Extra Virgin Olive Oil — 13.5 gOIL-0001
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Sea Salt — 1 pinch — to tasteSPICE-SALT-0001
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Freshly Cracked Black Pepper — 1 pinch — freshly cracked; to tasteSPICE-PEPPERCORN-BLACK
cooked_quinoa inventory identity and connects to the Quinoa Library record; the permanent quinoa master code remains pending assignment.
Preparation
- Place the cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl and loosen it gently with a fork so the grains remain light and separate.
- Add the halved baby heirloom tomatoes, sliced Persian cucumber, shaved red onion, finely chopped celery, and torn basil.
- Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Dress with the red wine vinegar and DOP extra-virgin olive oil.
- Toss gently until the vegetables and quinoa are evenly coated. Plate neatly in the center of a salad plate and serve fresh.
Ready for Menu Builder and Production Use
This salad is structured for clean scaling, plant-based menu planning, and future inventory sync. It fits naturally into your Salad Station workflow and healthy menu sections.
Chef Notes
Keep the quinoa fluffy and not compacted. This salad is best when the vegetables are cut neatly and the basil is added at the last minute so the aromas stay fresh and vivid.
Service Suggestions
- Serve as a healthy lunch salad or colorful plated starter.
- Add grilled vegetables for a larger composed entrée salad.
- Pair with vegan buffet menus and Mediterranean spreads.
- Finish with extra basil and a final thread of olive oil before service.
| Calories | 210 kcal |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg |