Caprese Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
This caprese quinoa salad recipe is a bright fresh appetizer, loaded with cherry tomatoes and basil, hearty cooled quinoa & tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. This salad is creamy, flavorful, and covered in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
This easy salad is simple to make ahead of time for lunch, and makes a fantastic summer appetizer for your next barbecue, cookout, or get together.
This caprese quinoa salad recipe is our go-to summer lunch, perfect with garden tomatoes and topped with a drizzle of homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. This is a great starter salad, but hearty enough to enjoy as a whole meal – served with thick and crusty bread.
Fresh mozzarella balls packed in water give this salad a savory salty bite! And don’t be intimidated by making your own salad dressing – it only takes a few minutes and couldn’t be easier. Add all your ingredients to a bowl or a mason jar with a lid, stir or shake, and dress your salad!
This Caprese Quinoa Salad Recipe Is:
- Bright
- Fresh
- Creamy
- Herby
- Salty
- Tangy
- Vegetarian & Gluten Free
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This caprese quinoa salad is great all year long – you can find sweet cherry tomatoes all year long in grocery stores, which work fantastically in this salad. Salads are super versatile, and can be enjoyed any time of year with fresh produce.
Browse all our modern salad recipes, which can be dressed up or down for any occasion.
Just as fast as grabbing a quick prepared salad from the store (and way more impressive too)! If you’re heading to a party, potluck, or BBQ, check out this list of top host gifts for summer entertaining for that next-level gift your host will love!
What’s In This Caprese Quinoa Salad Recipe?
I cook with fresh produce from my garden and from Misfits Market– they sell fantastic fruit, vegetables, & pantry staples at a discounted price. We get Misfit boxes every other week and love picking out seasonal produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here!!
- Tomatoes, Basil, & Fresh Spinach
- Fresh mozzarella balls – I used this Ciliegine which means “cherry sized” in Italian.
- Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s inexpensive & I like to keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry.
- White Quinoa: I used this fantastic white quinoa, but you can use red or multicolored. You can cook quinoa on the stove top, in the Instant Pot (my preferred method), in the rice cooker. This quinoa is a fantastic addition to salads, soups, or wraps… a great plant-based protein you can feel good about eating.
- Aged Balsamic Vinegar: I use this aged balsamic vinegar glaze because it has a really great flavor and a thick consistency perfect for drizzling on this garlic bread recipe!
- Tellicherry Peppercorns: It’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper.
Modern Meal Prep Chicken Recipes For the Win!
This balsamic quinoa salad is the perfect recipe for easy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy tasty homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time.
Browse all our modern meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge for later! They make cooking super easy.
How Do I Make This Quinoa Caprese Salad?
- Cook the quinoa: in a medium sized pot, add the quinoa and water, bring to a boil, then cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Once the quinoa has absorbed all the water, fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow to cool.
- Slice the tomatoes, and halve the mozzarella balls. I used a mix of cherry tomatoes for color – but pick the sweetest and most in-season tomatoes you can find (usually cherry tomatoes are my go-to off season).
- In a serving bowl, add the cooled quinoa, tomatoes, spinach, and mozzarella. Top with the fresh shredded basil. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad and crack fresh black pepper over the salad.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy!
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Caprese Quinoa Salad
Equipment
- Medium Pot
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup fresh basil cut into ribbons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon tellicherry black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: in a medium sized pot, add the quinoa and water, bring to a boil, then cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Once the quinoa has absorbed all the water, fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow to cool.
- Slice the tomatoes, and halve the mozzarella balls. I used a mix of cherry tomatoes for color – but pick the sweetest and most in-season tomatoes you can find (usually cherry tomatoes are my go-to off season).
- In a serving bowl, add the cooled quinoa, tomatoes, spinach, and mozzarella. Top with the fresh shredded basil. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad and crack salt and fresh black pepper over the salad.
Love my salads and this one is a keeper for sure