Sun-dried Tomato Quinoa Salad

5 from 5 votes

Sun-Dried Tomato Quinoa Salad is on Sweet Caramel Sunday. With a Basil Pesto Drizzle. It is perfect for work lunches or your next BBQ!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: bbq, Dinner, Lunch, Sides

Cuisine: American, Australian, International

Keyword: mexican quinoa salad, quinoa salad, salad, beans, corn, salad recipe, sun-dried tomato salad, warm salad

Servings:

Calories: 516kcal

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and a wire rack
Add water and quinoa to a medium sized sauce pan. Cook quinoa until the water is absorbed (medium heat).
Place bacon on wire rack and cook for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy
Drain oil from sun-dried tomatoes and set aside
Drain and rinse lentils and set aside
Slice shallots (green onions) finely
Combine quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, shallots and lentils into a large salad bowl
Dress with Basil Pesto Drizzle and toss to combine

Combine greek yoghurt, basil pesto and lemon juice in a blender jug and blitz to combine

I used tri colour quinoa but you can use any colour you like
Draining the sun-dried tomatoes will ensure that they are less oily when thrown into the salad
Use a wire rack to cook the bacon, so the fat drips off onto the lower tray
If you don't have lentils, chickpeas are a good substitute
For vegans, you can get a greek yoghurt which is vegan friendly at the grocery store and use fake bacon to have the same combination, but a recipe more suited to your lifestyle
I use the Basil Pesto Dip from Aldi in my dressings - it is not too oily and has great flavour!
I used sun-dried tomatoes from a jar which has oil in it as a preservative. If you want to avoid too much oil, you can also get them from the deli section of the grocery store where they are 'fresh' or sold without the oil