Quinoa Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta

A refreshing and light summer recipe for Quinoa Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta that can be enjoyed as an easy side or a hearty main dish all season long. It’s full of flavor from fresh mint, sweet watermelon and tangy feta cheese.

I’m often asked what kind of recipes I share on the blog. Are they vegan, gluten-free, paleo? I always have a hard time answering these questions, because most of my recipes are all of these things and none of these things. It’s hard explaining to people who don’t know much about you that you don’t subscribe to a particular diet and instead focus on whole, nourishing foods.

Of course I wish that this kind of response was more conventional, but instead I usually reply with something incredibly inarticulate like “ohhhh I don’t know…the hippie organic kind?!”

But it’s true. I don’t label my diet and aim to meal prep and eat intuitively instead. It has served me really well for the past few years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon!

Now onto this Quinoa Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta recipe… does this not look like the most refreshing salad ever?! As soon as the weather starts to warm up I crave watermelon. It brings me back to my childhood and satisfies my sweet tooth all at once. Love watermelon season!

Here’s What You Need:

• white quinoa
• watermelon
• fresh mint
• feta cheese crumbles
• sea salt
• black pepper
• almonds (optional)

Traditional watermelon salads are just watermelon, feta and mint but I wanted to add a protein boost in and love the addition of quinoa!

Recipe Variations

This is a straight forward recipe which means it’s easy to customize to your liking!

• To make dairy free, omit the feta or substitute for a vegan cheese.
• Add in extra veggies – cucumber would be delicious in this!
• Swap or add more fruit – if you don’t like watermelon or don’t have any on hand, this would still be delicious with a different fruit like fresh strawberries.
• Use a different grain – brown rice or farro would also be delicious in place of quinoa!

Serving and Storing

With the addition of quinoa, this could be eaten as a main dish! It’s also a delicious side dish – I love bringing this to potlucks or backyard BBQs.

While I do think this Quinoa Mint Salad is best served fresh, you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Quinoa Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta

A refreshing and light summer recipe for Quinoa Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta that can be enjoyed as an easy side or a hearty main dish all season long. It’s full of flavor from fresh mint, sweet watermelon and tangy feta cheese.

• Author: Davida Lederle
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 4 as main or 6 as side 1x
• Category: Lunch
• Method: Cook
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
• 4 cups chopped watermelon
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 cup organic feta cheese crumbles
• optional: 1/4 cup bob’s red mill almonds, chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Once cooked, remove from pot and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. In a large bowl combine quinoa, watermelon, mint, and feta cheese. Stir to combine.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Top with chopped almonds, if using.
5. Enjoy as a main or side dish.
6. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

Like this recipe? Here are a few other delicious grain salads you might enjoy: