California-Inspired Grilled Vegetable and Quinoa Salad

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-06-17 · Updated 2026-06-17

A light, nutritious salad featuring grilled seasonal vegetables and fluffy quinoa, dressed with a lemon-herb vinaigrette. This Mediterranean-inspired salad recipe (vegetarian), ready in about 40 minutes, pairs quinoa, water, zucchini into a side that holds its own next to almost any main — bright, balanced, and quick enough to slot into a weeknight plate. Each serving lands at about 280 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly next to roasted proteins, grain bowls, or weeknight mains. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 1 cup, rinsed quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds zucchini
• 1 large, cut into strips red bell pepper
• 1 small, cut into wedges red onion
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1, minced garlic clove
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

1. Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
2. Step 2: Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Toss 1 sliced zucchini, 1 large red bell pepper cut into strips, and 1 small red onion cut into wedges with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt.
3. Step 3: Grill vegetables for 4-5 minutes per side until tender and slightly charred. Remove and let cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
4. Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley to create vinaigrette.
5. Step 5: Add cooked quinoa and grilled vegetables to the bowl with vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Serve warm or chilled.