Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe (Gluten Free, High Protein, Vegetarian)

This quinoa chickpea salad is a bright & fresh salad recipe inspired by a Le Pain Quotidian copycat recipe! Packed fresh vegetables, grains, a bright lemon vinaigrette. Great to meal prep, make ahead, or batch cook.

This hearty high protein vegetarian salad recipe is loaded with good-for-you ingredients!  Serve this on a summer day for lunch, for brunch, or as a simple and delicious dinner. Make this with red, white, or tri-colored quinoa – any type you prefer!

This red quinoa chickpea salad is a bright and refreshing lunch or dinner idea! It’s loaded with whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and topped with a sweet lemon vinaigrette.  This is one of my favorite clean eating recipes that I make on repeat all year long.

I love red quinoa in salads, its definitely one of my favorite grains, so when I do cook it I like to cook it in bulk and have it every day of the week.  The first time I ever had red quinoa was in a salad at the restaurant Le Pain Quotidian, and I loved it so much I went back for it  a bunch of times.  Since there aren’t any Le Pain’s where I live now in New England… I’ve recreated my favorite restaurant quinoa salad at home. 

This Red Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe Is:

• Bright
• Filling
• Flavorful
• Packed with Flavor
• Vegan
• Gluten Free
• Nutritious, High in Fiber and Protein

Quick Quinoa Recipes for the Win!

Since I’ve learned how to make Perfect Quinoa in the Rice Cooker, Cooking up a big batch of grains is so easy and very meal-prep friendly.  I like to chill the quinoa before serving in the salad, but its  also great warm. This salad got a huge thumbs up from the hubs!  I had enough ingredients to make a few mason jar salads for our lunches during the week, and they make fresh and filling lunch for the office!

What’s In This Copycat Le Pain Quotidian 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 favorite produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first box here!

• Arugula, Lemons, Tomatoes, Garlic

• Red quinoa: I love red quinoa, so I always have plenty stocked in the pantry!   I used this fantastic red 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 red quinoa is a fantastic addition to salads, soups, or wraps.
• Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry.  For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
• No Salt Added Chickpeas: one of my favorite pantry staple ingredients! You can use canned chickpeas (I’d highly recommend a low sodium or no salt version), or you can make your own chickpeas from scratch in the Instant Pot.
• Dijon Mustard – for a really nice flavor and texture, this dijon is a favorite in our pantry… I’d stay clear from yellow prepared mustard for this recipe.
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt.  It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
• Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper.  Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend. 

Make Quinoa Chickpea Salad Gluten Free

This gluten free red quinoa salad recipe is a simple meal to make without the wheat. I’m all about making recipes gluten free when I can. Gluten free cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right.

By building meals around gluten free pantry staples and swapping in a few wheat-less ingredients you can make better meals for you and your family. I made a list of my 125 favorite gluten free pantry ingredients that we use on a weekly basis, and check out all my gluten free recipes here that are on The Herbeevore. These easy and tasty recipes are fantastic meals for everyone at your table.

How to Make this Red Quinoa and Chickpea Salad:

1. Cook Quinoa – I follow my recipe for rice cooker quinoa here, or follow package instructions.
2. In a large salad bowl layer the arugula, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and fresh tomatoes.  Add the red quinoa to the top and dress with a squeeze of lemon.
3. In a pint sized mason jar, add all the dressing ingredients together.  Secure the lid and shake to combine.
4. Pour dressing over salad and serve!

More Easy Quinoa Recipes You’ll Love!

Parsley Tabbouleh with Quinoa Recipe (Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan)

Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Sauce Recipe (Vegan, GF)

Bruschetta Quinoa Salad Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Rice Cooker Quinoa Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Sodium)

Simple Lemon Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Share this Le Pain Copy Cat Quinoa Chickpea Salad Recipe

As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free red quinoa chickpea salad recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you.  I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Kelly Jensen

This easy quinoa chickpea salad can be made with any color quinoa – it's packed with fresh vegetables and a bright lemon vinaigrette. Great to meal prep, make ahead, or batch cook. Inspired by a copycat recipe at Le Pain Quotidien restaurant.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Lunch, Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 5

Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Red Quinoa Salad

• 2 cups cooked quinoa I used red, but you can use white quinoa or tri-colored
• 4 cups arugula
• 2 cup No-Salt-Added Chickpeas if canned, rinse first
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped Artichoke Hearts
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

• 2 lemons juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 1 clove garlic pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper

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Instructions

 

• Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Make sure quinoa is cool before adding to salad.
• In a large salad bowl layer the arugula, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and fresh tomatoes. Add the red quinoa to the top and dress with a squeeze of lemon.
• In a pint sized mason jar, add all the dressing ingredients together. Secure the lid and shake to combine.
• Pour dressing over salad and serve!
• If making a mason jar salad layer (in this order): Dressing on the bottom, then chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, arugula, and top with red quinoa. Secure lid and shake upside down for a minute before serving!

Notes

Save Money on Organic Produce!

I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery.  You can get $10 off your first box by clicking here! 

If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 15gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gSodium: 606mgPotassium: 915mgFiber: 11gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 872IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 109mgIron: 5mg

Keyword artichoke hearts, fresh tomatoes, le pain quotidian copycat quinoa salad recipe, Lemon Juice, quinoa chickpea salad, red quinoa chickpea salad, red quinoa salad, red quinoa salad with artichoke hearts, Spinach, sundried tomatoes

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