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–+ servings
all the textures of a dill quinoa salad with eggs and asparagus

Dill Quinoa Salad

In this Dill Quinoa Salad, bright green spring vegetables like asparagus and peas do most of the talking. But creamy dill dressing, quinoa and jammy eggs make this salad filling enough for dinner. Leftovers make for an easy, healthy lunch and this salad is great served warm or cold. 
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course lunch, salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 recipe for creamy dill dressing
  • 1 cup quinoa rinsed
  • 1 lb asparagus cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 cups baby spinach (or tatsoi, chopped)
  • 5 eggs
  • Shaved parmesan optional, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Make the dressing. First make this creamy dill salad dressing in a small bowl.
  • Prepare the quinoa. Quinoa contains a bitter coating called saponin, so you’ll need to place your quinoa in a very fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water for 1 or 2 minutes. Then place into a medium pot with water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to medium-low for 15 minutes. Cook, uncovered, until quinoa has absorbed all of the water, approximately 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover and let rest for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
  • Prepare the greens. Fill a saucepan with 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Add asparagus. Set a timer for 1:30 minutes. When the timer goes off, add frozen peas and cook for an additional minute. Then, add spinach and cook for no more than 30 seconds or until wilted. Transfer greens to a colander, reserving water to cook eggs.
  • Cook eggs. Bring water back to a boil. Carefully lower eggs into the water using a spoon. Cook for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs or 8 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Transfer eggs to an ice bath and for easy peeling, peel in the cool water. Set aside until ready to assemble salad.
  • Assemble the salad. Let quinoa come to room temperature. In a large bowl, combine quinoa and greens. Toss with dressing. Taste, add salt and fresh lemon juice to taste. Cut eggs in half and arrange over the salad. If desired, use a vegetable peeler to shave parmesan to garnish. Also optional: sprinkle with a few green onions to make everything pop!
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

Taste before serving and adjust seasoning to personal preference (lemon, salt, and pepper)
Keyword 30 minute dinners, asparagus, caesar salad dressing, eggs, quinoa salad
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