High Protein Quinoa Salad with Sumac Dressing

This healthy quinoa salad is perfect for high protein vegetarian meal prep. If you are looking for a high protein quinoa meal prep to make ahead, this salad couldn’t be simpler. It also happens to be plant-based!

This is a basic quinoa salad with chickpeas and vegetables, tossed in a tangy sumac lemon dressing. It’s a breeze to put together and is perfect as part of a high protein vegetarian meal prep.

Think of this healthy quinoa salad as a relatively high protein vegetarian side to serve along with your primary protein.

The sumac salad dressing recipe is easy to whisk together and can be modified to taste.

The key to a good make ahead quinoa salad meal prep is to choose vegetables that hold up well with time. That’s why many quinoa salad meal prep recipes will use vegetables like bell pepper. I chose some easily accessible vegetables like cucumbers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes, but you can modify as you see fit.

Macronutrients in high-protein quinoa salad with sumac dressing

A serving of this quinoa salad with sumac dressing is rich in complex carbohydrates, has moderate protein and moderate fat.

Per serving (with almonds) – (around 416 g per serving)

• Calories: 441 kcal
• Protein:  17 g
• Carbs: 65 g
• Fat: 14 g
• Fiber: 12 g

Micronutrients in quinoa salad meal prep

This recipe for quinoa salad with chickpeas and sumac dressing is rich in micronutrients.  Here are some vitamins and minerals with more than 20% DV per serving of high protein quinoa salad:

• Vitamin C 69.1 mg (77% DV)
• Vitamin E 3.44 mg (23 % DV)
• Vitamin B6 0.414 mg (24% DV)
• Vitamin B9 (aka folate / folic acid) – 157.67 mcg (39% DV)
• Copper 0.61 mg (68% DV)
• Iron 5.39 mg (30% DV)
• Magnesium 160.81 mg (38 % DV)
• Manganese 1.978 mg (86 % DV)
• Phosphorus 378.3 mg (30% DV)
• Zinc 2.62 mg (24 % DV)

For detailed nutritional analysis see here.

This vegan quinoa salad is perfect as part of a vegetarian high protein meal prep and makes a great pre-workout meal for strength athletes.

Although I call it a “high protein quinoa salad”, this plant-based quinoa salad by itself is fairly carb heavy. This makes it ideal for eating before a training session where you might want to load up on carbs.

If I am eating it as part of a post-work out meal, I will add some additional protein (either eggs or perhaps salmon or chicken) to up the protein content and boost muscle recovery.

The general advice for strength athletes is to eat a meal that has ample carbs and moderate protein 2-3 hours before training, and a more protein and fat heavy meal after training. For instance, since I train mostly in the afternoon or evening, I may have this meal-prepped quinoa salad for my lunch to load up on carbohydrates. For dinner, I might have this quinoa salad as a side along with some extra protein, such as with this maple baked salmon. See section below for more examples.

How this quinoa salad meal prep fits into a high-protein meal plan and serving ideas

To calculate the nutrition information per serving, I divided the batch into 4 servings. However, these are quite big servings. Think of the calculated serving size as a “meal-sized” salad. Realistically, meal preps like this quinoa salad with chickpeas is more easily served as part of a meal or as a side. Although a half serving of this healthy quinoa salad with chickpeas and sumac dressing only has 220 kcal and 8.6 g protein (not exactly what I would callhigh protein), it is a healthy addition to any high-protein lunch or dinner. Here are some serving ideas and examples with calculated macronutrients. (A half serving of this high protein quinoa salad with sumac dressing has roughly 8.5 g protein, 32.5 g carbs, and 7 g fat.)

• Half serving of high protein quinoa salad with 3 eggs: 27.5 g protein, 21 g fat, 33.5 g carbs
• Half serving of high protein quinoa salad with 1 chicken thigh: 42.5 g protein, 18 g fat, 32.5 g carbs
• Half serving of high protein quinoa salad with 100 g tempeh: 28.5 g protein, 18 g fat, 40 g carbs
• Half serving of high protein quinoa salad with 2 pieces maple baked salmon: 34.5 g protein, 24 g fat, 32.4 g carbs

Print Recipe

High Protein Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Sumac Dressing

This healthy quinoa salad is perfect for high protein vegetarian meal prep. If you are looking for a high protein quinoa meal prep to make ahead, this salad couldn’t be simpler. It also happens to be plant-based!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Fusion, Mediterranean

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Chickpeas, High Protein, Meal Prep, Quinoa, Salad

Servings: 4

Calories: 441kcal

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas 540 ml, 19 fl oz
• 1.5 cups quinoa
• 1 large bell pepper
• 1 small container cherry tomatoes 283 g, 10 oz
• 4 mini cucumbers 170-200 g, 6-7 oz
• 2 spring onions
• 1 lemon 50 ml juice
• 25 ml olive oil 1.5 tbsp
• 2 tsp sumac use 1 tsp only for less acidity
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup sliced almonds optional

Instructions

• Cook the quinoa according to package instructions or in a rice cooker. If using a rice cooker, combine 1.5 cups quinoa with 1.5 cup water, and use the white rice setting. See note 1.
• If cooking on stove top, bring 3 cups water to a boil, stir in the quinoa, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, then let stand for 5-10 minutes more.
• Let quinoa cool before using.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables by dicing the bell pepper, slicing the mini cucumbers, halving the cherry tomatoes, and thinly slicing the spring onions.
• Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.
• To make the sumac salad dressing, whisk together the juice of one lemon, olive oil, sumac, paprika, and salt to taste.
• Combine everything together in a large bowl and toss to evenly distribute the salad dressing.
• Optionally sprinkle 1 tablespoon sliced almonds per portion before serving.

Video

@hellenshouse

high protein quinoa salad – a really easy quinoa meal prep MACROS Per serving (with almonds) – Around 416 g per serving Calories: 441 kcal Protein: 17 g Carbs: 65 g Fat: 14 g Fiber: 12 g Add an egg= 23 g protein, 65 g carbs, 19 g fat. find the full recipe with nutrition details on my website here! https://hellenshouse.com/high-protein-quinoa-salad-with-sumac-dressing/ #highproteinmealprep #quinoasalad #healthymealprep #mealprepideas

♬ Heart Of Glass – The Surfrajettes

Notes

Note 1: 1.5 measuring cups is equal to 2 rice cooker cups.