Looking for a healthy and hearty meal to pack that stays fresh and tastes delicious?
Skip the lunch line or frozen burritos and try this ultra-customizable quinoa jar salad. Packed with flavor, protein and fresh veggies, it has everything you’ll need to keep you fueled for the day. Perfect for the office, school lunches, or even a picnic, this salad won’t let you down.
The recipe below is for the salad in the picture, but you can dress this dish up any way you’d like. Swap out the protein to make it vegan or vegetarian, mix up your seasonings or dressings for different flavors, or change the veggies to align with your own tastes. However you slice it, this recipe serves as a base to craft a jar salad you’re excited to enjoy.
Ingredients for the marinade:
½ yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
Ingredients for the salad:
1 lb. chicken breast
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 cup dry quinoa
Spring mix (optional)
Instructions:
First, make your marinade. You can skip this step if you’re using a pre-made marinade.
Dice your onion and mince your garlic.
Sauté your onion and garlic in a pan with your olive oil. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Transfer the onion, garlic, and remaining olive oil into a food processor or blender.
If you’re not using pre-grated or minced ginger, grate it and add it to the food processor.
Add your lemon juice, tomato paste, paprika, black pepper, dried oregano, and salt into the food processor.
Blend everything until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Cut up your chicken into cubes and add them into the bowl of marinade.
Stir the chicken until it is covered in the marinade. Cover it and set it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While your chicken is marinading, you can work on prepping your quinoa and veggies.
Cook your quinoa according the instructions on the package.
Quarter your cherry tomatoes and cut your cucumber. Set them aside.
In a large skillet, cook your chicken with its marinade on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 10 minutes or until they reach the internal temperature of 165°F.
Once all your salad components have been prepared, it’s time to put your salads together. You’ll want to let your hot ingredients cool down a bit before assembling to keep the jars from accumulating too much condensation on the inside.
Have the jars you’d like to use at the ready.
Put the desired amount of cut cherry tomatoes and cucumbers at the bottom of your jars
Add your desired amount of quinoa as the next layer, then your desired portion of chicken.
To keep these salads super fresh, I recommend not adding your spring mix until the day you’d like to enjoy your salad. The best time to pop the greens on top is when you’re packing your lunch for the day.
Seal up your jar and enjoy!
This recipe typically makes about 4 to 5 servings of salad. They keep quite well when assembled in this order.
-Delaney Blomstrom
