Quinoa and Wheat Berry Salad
Posted: 02/04/2015
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This flavorful quinoa and wheat berry salad is packed full of healthy grains, vegetables, and chewy dried cranberries to liven things up. You’ll love the dressing!
Lunch time salads — it’s no secret that they make my world go ’round. I love to whip up a grain based salad like this and eat it for lunch all week.
The great thing about the grains is that they make it much more filling and satisfying than a mainly green-based salad. Another big bonus of a salad that is mostly greens is that it holds up a little better in the fridge so you can enjoy it all week long.
The only green in this salad is kale which holds up really well. In fact, it gets better once the vinaigrette has time to marinate the kale a bit. I used baby kale but you can absolutely use other varieties of kale – just cut it up into bite-size pieces.
If you’re not familiar with wheat berries — get familiar. They are SO good in this salad. They have a great bite and are very chewy. They make this salad nice and hearty. And then the quinoa acts as almost a filler (but it’s more important than “filler” makes it sound). Great added protein, and it makes for a nice full fork full of salad with each bite.
And then the veggies! OH THE VEGGIES. I love the assortment in this salad. Lightly blanched green beans, crispy red bell peppers, and then of course the kale I already mentioned. Dried cranberries add a nice sweetness.
Throw together an easy vinaigrette and you’re a happy camper at lunch all week. I shared this with a few of my friends and it was a hit. My friend Suzie (not typically a fan of this kind of food) said, “It’s actually good – it looks gross but it tastes good.”
So there ya go.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
This flavorful quinoa and wheat berry salad is packed full of healthy grains, vegetables, and chewy dried cranberries to liven things up. You’ll love the dressing!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
- 2 cups cooked and cooled wheat berries
- about 2 cups chopped green beans, lightly blanched
- 3 cups (loosely packed) baby kale leaves
- 3/4 cup diced red pepper
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, wheat berries, green beans, baby kale, red pepper, and dried cranberries.
- In a small jar or measuring cup, mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Shake or whisk until combined. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients and stir until everything is coated with dressing. Serve immediately or store covered in refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
Serving Size: 1 cup
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 357kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 16.8mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 13g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Verdict: LOVE this salad. It has everything I want in a salad.
Husband’s take: He liked this — said he could live on it. (Win!)
Changes I would make: None are necessary, but as always with salad, swap in your favorite veggies.
Difficulty: Easy if you have a few things prepped. I like to prep some grains on the weekends which makes it really easy to throw together a wheat berry salad like this. If you have quinoa in the freezer, you can definitely use that too!
Can’t get enough of filling salads? Don’t worry I have plenty more to choose from. Try Greek Chopped Salad, Barley Salad with Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Parsley, Farro Salad with Chicken, Beets, and Broccoli, Greek Wheat Berry Salad from Naturally Ella.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
Looks like a perfect salad for make ahead lunches!
Sues says
I am a grain salad lover, so this is right up my alley!!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Yum! Loving the texture and all the protein :)
Laura @MotherWouldKnow says
I’ve long been a fan of wheat berries, and I’m just getting to love quinoa now that I dry toast it before cooking. Kale and I weren’t friends for the longest time, but now I massage it and we’re buddies. So this is a combination I will definitely try. Thanks.
Mary Ann says
Place kale in a plastic bag, roll over it with rolling pin, then rinse it – you will eliminate a lot of work for yourself and the rinsing will eliminate the bitterness that kale can have..
Rachel Gurk says
Good tip! I love to use baby kale because it’s super tender.
Kiano says
Such an awesome combo of flavor and texture. Especially with the two tyes of grains.
Denise says
looks good!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
I have recently discovered grain salads, and you’re right they are perfect for lunch!
Joanie @ ZagLeft says
I love to make up a huge salad early in the week to enjoy all week too. I bet the quinoa and kale become so flavorful as they are in the vinaigrette. I’ll have to try this one, I love all the flavors.
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free says
Geez, fresh whole food just looks so amazing doesn’t it? I happen to have both wheat berries and quinoa in my cupboard and some wilting kale – looks like I better get cooking for lunch!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
What a delish recipes! Love your tip on using frozen quinoa…definitely trying this out!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love salads like this for lunch time. So delicious!
RavieNomNoms says
This is lovely!