This pea and bacon quinoa salad makes a delicious lunch or a tasty side dish! Easy to make, and gluten free, too!
Who loves quinoa? Â We do over here! It’s easy and quick to cook, and has a lot of nutrients, like magnesium, calcium and protein. I like quick, easy good-for-you foods. Â So much better than quick, easy bad-for-you foods. Â You know, like bacon. Â Which is also in this salad…I guess this recipe has something for everyone. :) Quinoa is great for those who are gluten free, because it works very well in recipes that call for couscous, due to the similar texture and size.
Since we bought a huge bag of quinoa at Costco recently, on Saturday I made up this little pea and bacon quinoa salad. Â It’s very flavorful, filling, and versatile. You could even change the vegetables around if you wanted to…corn might be nice, or some white beans thrown in there. You can’t go wrong with a lemony dressing and the light texture of quinoa.
Sidenote: I love that Costco carries nitrate free bacon! It’s so much less expensive than the bacon at Whole Foods.
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Recipe
Pea and Bacon Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed and prepared according to package directions
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 5 green onions white and light green parts chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed and drained
- 8 slices cooked bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl.
- Add the quinoa and stir to coat with dressing.
- Add the onions, red pepper and peas. Stir again.
- Put into serving bowls and top with bacon.
Nutrition
This salad is really good served right away, but the leftovers are great the next day, too!
Enjoy! Do you have a favorite quinoa dish?
Darryl
this is so delicious I have to make an extra portion of it just for myself the next day in addition to what I’m making for the family meal!
mia (MossyJojo)
I’ve heard of quinoa before but never tried it. Your photo makes me feel hungry :)
Dee
Looks yummy and I LOVE those bowls!
marieken
This looks really good! I’ve never made or hade quinoa, so this might be a good recipe to experiment with this recipe.
Kelly
Oh, you should try it! Quinoa is so easy to make, and it’s really healthy, too!
atasteofmadess
Ooh, this looks so good! I have only just started cooking with quinoa, and am always looking for some more recipes :)
Kelly
You’ll love the versatility of quinoa, you can add anything to it pretty much!
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs
I’m always looking for new ways to cook quinoa and this looks like a lovely idea! I’m loving the bacon and pea addition, I’m sure they make a wonderful salad which I NEED to try ;-)
Kelly
Yes, I love quinoa and am always looking for ways to use it, too! Thanks for stopping by!
theartbug
looks good! pinning for later!
Kelly
Thank you!
Kim @ 2justByou
This looks really good. My boys would love it. They love anything with bacon!
Kelly
Yes, my son does, too!