Berry Blue Cheese Quinoa Salad just makes me smile, for so many reasons. The salad personified is ME, call it “Jennifer Salad” because it’s all about the things I am and love. It’s sweet without being cloying, packed with the season’s best berries including blueberries, raspberries and strawberries (or any combo there in). It’s bold with a blast of blue cheese crumbles. It’s got a lot of attitude and texture, with layers of flavor to keep every bite interesting. It’s hearty and healthy, fills you up without being too dainty. And finally, it’s portable and ready to go, standing up to a mealtime on any adventure.

Read on to get this delicious, meal prep friendly quinoa salad:

I’m all about making this Berry Blue Cheese Quinoa Salad at the beginning of the week for a meal-prep solution for on-the-go lunches and to serve as a no-brainer side for my lean proteins at night. Quinoa salads always hold up well in the fridge for three or four days, and this beauty is no exception. Naturally, it’s also winner to make for instant consumption and will make a big splash at every pool party, potluck and picnic left in summer and beyond. 

I LOVE the taste combo of sweet, plump, juicy berries with rich, creamy, aged-to-perfection blue cheese. I’m a fan of Litehouse Simply Artisan Blue Cheese Crumbles and not ashamed to say I tossed in the whole container in this berry quinoa salad recipe.  However, if you aren’t quite fan-girling over blue cheese as much as me, you can also take the bold flavor down a notch by swapping out for feta cheese, or even milder yet . . . crumbled queso fresco.

Quinoa makes such a fabulous foundation for lettuce-free salads, it’s packed with fiber, protein and other important nutrients, has a hearty texture, and can be made ahead without getting soggy. To this very day, I’ve never met a person who actually WANTED a soggy, sad, wilted green salad! Although, I will comment that this berry quinoa salad is excellent served on top of Baby Spring Mix, if you are assembling your meal fresh at home.

This versatile, make-ahead quinoa salad can be whipped up early and kept chilled until serving. Leftovers stay good in the fridge for 3 or 4 days, making it ideal for meal-preppers or those who pack a lunch for work.

If you love easy quinoa salads that work for lunchboxes and meal prep dinners, here are some of my other favorites:

• Strawberry Quinoa Spinach Salad
• Orange Pecan Quinoa Salad Stuffed in Avocados
• Autumn Crunch Quinoa Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• California Caprese Quinoa Salad
• Maple Pecan Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad (pictured above)
• Super Red Watermelon Beet Quinoa Salad

Disclaimer: This salad recipe was originally created as a paid collaboration with my friends at Litehouse Foods, however all editorial comments and enthusiasm are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the fabulous companies that support The Fit Fork

5 from 15 votes

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Berry Blue Cheese Quinoa Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Bursting with beautiful berries and bold blue cheese, this easy quinoa sald make a lovely accompaniment to dinner or as a meal-prep lunch. 

Course: lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Keyword: blue cheese, blueberry, meal prep, quinoa, raspberry, strawberry

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked and cooled red quinoa from 1 cup dry
• 2 cups of assorted berries: raspberries blueberries, sliced strawberries
• 2/3 cup sliced radish
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 4 ounces blue cheese crumbled

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or stevia honey equivalent like from Pyure
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Add cooled quinoa to rinsed and dried-off blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, sliced radishes, parsley and freeze-dried red onion to large bowl, stir to combine.

2. Add blue cheese crumbles and dressing to bowl, gently stir to distribute through salad.
3. Add all dressing ingredients to small bowl and whisk together or alternatively, add to small mason jar and shake until emulsified.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad, and lightly toss to combine.
5. Serve immediately, or can make ahead the night before and keep chilled. Leftovers may be kept in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.