salmon-quinoa-salad

Salmon Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing

This salmon quinoa salad with lemon dressing is the perfect complete meal! With tender salmon, fluffy quinoa and lots of fresh veggies this salad will take care of dinner time stress in one fell swoop. This is also great for meal prep if you want to make extra for lunches during the work week.

WHY THIS SALMON QUINOA SALAD IS THE BEST!

This salad meets all of the criteria looking for when making dinner. It is healthy, easy, quick and tastes amazing! Salmon is one of the favorite fish, and bakes in the oven in just minutes. Cook the quinoa over the stove top while the salmon is in the oven and you have a complete meal in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

Salmon and Dry Rub:

  • 2 4 ounce salmon, fillets
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ⅛ teaspoon cumin
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Quinoa Salad:

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup chickpeas
  • ⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (whole lemon)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Salmon:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add all of the ingredients for the salmon dry rub to a small bowl and mix.
  3. Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle each side with the spice mixture. Rub to evenly coat the salmon with spices.
  4. Bake in the preheat oven for 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

Quinoa Salad:

  1. Once the salmon is baking in the oven, prepare the quinoa by cooking according to package directions.
  2. When quinoa has absorbed all of the water, fluff quinoa and add the remaining salad ingredients. Stir to coat with olive oil and lemon juice.
  3. Plate quinoa salad and top with salmon fillets.