by This easy Quinoa Edamame Salad with Citrus Sesame Dressing is crunchy, savory, and bursting with citrus flavor, thanks to my 5-Minute Sesame Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing! It comes together in 15 minutes since the quinoa cooks on the stovetop while we whip up the rest of the ingredients like chopped cabbage, cucumber and carrot and is even better the longer you keep it in the fridge for the perfect healthy lunch or dinner recipe!
Move over, boring salads, because this Quinoa Edamame Salad with my Homemade Citrus Sesame Dressing is about the knock your socks off!
It’s bursting with citrus sesame flavor and oh so crunchy from the purple cabbage. It somehow also gets even better the longer it’s stored in the fridge, meaning it’s perfect for meal prep, maybe alongside my equally as tasty Actually Tasty and Healthy Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets for a little extra protein boost?!
A Dietitian-Approved Protein Packed Salad!
Easy and healthy salad recipes are kind of my jam as a Registered Dietitian, so I wanted to create one that was equally as delicious as it is packed with nourishing ingredients and protein, and I totally achieved it!
Not only does this easy quinoa salad recipe have a whopping 18 grams of protein per serving, thanks to the quinoa and edamame, it also boasts 8 grams of fiber per serving! Plus, do you see all of those veggie colors?! That’s what I call nutrients, baby!
Save this Recipe!
Have some leftover purple cabbage lurking in the back of your fridge after making this quinoa salad? Then you need to try my Sesame-Lime Purple Cabbage Salad that takes all of 3 minutes to whip up and is the perfect easy side dish!
Testing Tips You Need to Know!
Luckily I tested this easy salad recipe a few times to make sure it’s absolutely perfect, and here are my top tips!
- If you’ve never cooked with quinoa before, it’s super important that you rinse it before cooking, otherwise it can have a bit of a soapy flavor.
- If you feel like the salad isn’t absorbing the flavor of the sesame citrus dressing, let it sit for 10-15 minutes in the fridge! Sometimes quinoa needs a bit of time to absorb all of those delicious flavors, otherwise it can taste a little bland!
- I’ve tested cooking edamame a bunch of ways, and the easiest way by far is steaming it! Just boil some water in a kettle or pot, add the edamame to the boiling water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes until it’s cooked through.
Time To Make Some Salad!
15-Minute Quinoa Edamame Salad with Citrus Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups of frozen shelled edamame
- 1 batch of 5-Minute Sesame Citrus Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- 1/2 small purple cabbage, sliced, about 4 cups
- 2 carrots, shaved
- 3 green onions, sliced, just the white part
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1/4 cups cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa as per package instructions.
- Steam your shelled edamame as per package instructions.
- Make a batch of the 5-Minute Citrus Sesame Salad Dressing Vinaigrette.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, edamame purple cabbage, cucumber, carrot, green onion, celery, cilantro, salt and salad dressing and toss well to combine. Serve and enjoy!
