Baby Kale Quinoa Salad Recipe

This delicious baby kale quinoa salad is easy to put together and is perfect for taking to work for lunch. And for non-vegetarians/vegans, feel free to add meat!

An overhead view of this Kale Quinoa Salad in a white bowl.

Kale Quinoa Salad

Kale and quinoa go very well together. But baby kale is particularly good. Toss in some apples, walnuts and any other ingredients you’d like, and you’ve got one healthy, filling, delicious meal!

This salad travels well so it’s great to take to work for lunch, or makes up fast for a busy weeknight dinner. The trick is to make your quinoa ahead of time. Don’t use just-cooked quinoa without fully cooling it first, or it will wilt your baby kale.

What You’ll Need

2 cups baby kale – I purchased a package of the pre-washed stuff. It’s just easier that way. But if you want to use a different kale, opt for Lacinato kale and make sure you massage it well with a little bit of lemon juice and salt. This will make the kale very soft and easy to eat as well as friendly to the palate.

1 cup cooked quinoa – I cooked mine with chicken broth instead of water. I find that it just tastes better overall. But the choice is yours. Also, be sure to rinse your quinoa well, even if the package says it’s pre-rinsed. And lastly, make sure your quinoa is completely cooled before adding it to this salad otherwise your greens will wilt. It’s best to make it ahead of time.

1 cup chopped apples – You can use any apple you prefer. This is approximately 3/4 of a medium to large apple. Chop small for the best overall texture.

¼ cup walnut pieces – I chopped mine before measuring. The smaller they are, the better the texture of your salad will be. Little chunks work best here.

2 tbsp. vinaigrette – For this, I used my Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette. You can easily make it in about 2 minutes in a blender, it keeps well, and the sweetness from the maple syrup really brings out the sweetness in the apples, while the lemon and garlic provide wonderful nuance to the overall flavor of your salad. It’s a nice balance of sweet and savory.

The individual ingredients for this Kale Quinoa Salad separated for easy viewing in a mixing bowl.

How To Make Kale Quinoa Salad

As with most salads, this is a pretty simple process. Just prepare the individual ingredients, put them in a mixing bowl and toss everything together with dressing.

What Meats Go With Kale Quinoa Salad

Great additions to this salad would be small chunks of baked chicken breast or some chopped bacon. I use Applegate Turkey Bacon which has clean ingredients. (Not paid to promote them, it’s just what I use)

What Side Dishes Go With Kale Quinoa Salad?

You could easily enjoy this salad as a light side dish to chicken, fish, beef or pork. Even a small bowl of vegetable soup would work well here.

A side view of this Kale Quinoa Salad in a mixing bowl with dressing on it.

More Kale Salad Recipes

Kale salad is always delicious stuff if it’s prepared correctly. But kale dishes in general are always scrumptious. Here are more you might want to try.

More Quinoa Salad Recipes

Quinoa salad are very versatile salads. Like rice, there isn’t much you can’t mix with quinoa.

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Kale Quinoa Salad Recipe

An overhead view of this Kale Quinoa Salad in a white bowl.

Kale Quinoa Salad

A delicious salad that can be enjoyed as a side dish or a main course for lunch or dinner.
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Course: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 643kcal

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 cups baby kale (washed and prepared)
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup chopped apples
  • ¼ cup walnut pieces (chopped if needed for size)
  • 2 tbsp. vinaigrette

Instructions

  • Toss all ingredients together.
  • Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1entire recipe | Calories: 643kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 787mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 4263IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 4mg

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