Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad is grilled veggies with quinoa, beans, & lettuce topped with avocado dressing is a delicious bite! Weight Watchers friendly- 3 SmartPoints!
It’s officially starting to feel like Summer here in Indianapolis, and y’all I’m ready for the warmer weather! Something about warm weather makes me want to eat lighter meals. My Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad is a light and filling meal perfect for a weekday lunch or hearty dinner! Grilled squash, bell pepper, and onion mixed with fluffy quinoa, black beans, and lettuce topped with creamy avocado dressing is a delicious bite! This is a Weight Watchers friendly recipe and each serving is 3 SmartPoints.
The last few weeks have been hot here! I really shouldn’t say hot… because I am from Texas after all and my old definition of hot was anything over 95 degrees (for the record, it was like 85 degrees here). A few weekends ago, a nice warm front came through Indy and it was the best weather we’ve had in a long time. It was perfect timing too because my parents came from Houston, Texas to visit my husband and I. That weekend was not only Mother’s Day, but also my 1 year wedding anniversary! It was their first time in Indy, so we had to show them a good time!
So far, we’ve lived here in Indy for 9 months or so. We’ve had a few visitors and my husband and I have a pretty nice site seeing agenda each time we have guests. We live about a mile from the heart of downtown which is awesome. My parents arrived on Friday and we took them to lunch then on a stroll down the Canal Walk. There is a canal that runs through the heart of downtown Indianapolis and connects to the White River. We love the Canal Walk and it’s a great place to ride your bike, walk your dogs, or go on a jog! On Saturday, we surprised my parents with tickets to go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to see the Grand Prix. My parents have followed Nascar for years so we HAD to take them to the Motor Speedway! It was amazing!
Sunday was Mother’s Day and it was so great to spend the day with my mom! Sunday was also my 1 year wedding anniversary. It really is hard to believe that I’ve only been married a year. So much has happened in the last year…. The big event was that we moved from Texas to Indianapolis. It’s been an unforgettable, amazing year and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
The weekend my parents were here was so fun and we definitely showed them a good dose of Indianapolis. My husband and I traveled for the majority of April and we are now back into the regular routine of things at home. I can finally get back to eating healthy food and cooking! Being on vacation is fun and all, but eating not so healthy food can get old. Now that we are home, all I want to eat is salads and lighter meals!
I love making quinoa salads, mostly because I can make them way ahead of time and eat throughout the week for lunch or dinner. Quinoa is one of the best things because it’s so versatile. You can mix it with just about anything and it transforms into a different recipe. I love making quinoa salads or casseroles. If you haven’t tried my Quinoa Tabbouleh Spinach Salad or Tex-Mex Turkey Quinoa Casserole, you MUST add these to your next week recipes 🙂

Quinoa Tabbouleh Spinach Salad

Tex-Mex Turkey Quinoa Casserole
I absolutely love grilling vegetables. We don’t have an outdoor grill just yet, so I just use my cast iron griddle/grill. I like to grill vegetables on Sunday and have them on hand all week for this salad, or a quick veggie taco! This recipe is easy to follow and would be great to make on Sunday so you can have all the ingredients on hand and ready for a weekday salad! To start, prep the vegetables to be roasted. Remove the seeds from a red bell pepper and cut in half, cut yellow squash in half, and dice a red onion into quarters.
Using an indoor grill pan, heat the pan over medium heat and brush on olive oil. Let the grill heat for 10 minutes. You can totally use an outdoor grill too! Place the veggies on the grill and let them cook for 8-10 minutes, then flip and repeat.
These veggies are so delicious grilled and perfect for this salad!
The next steps are super easy! In a large bowl, mix cooked quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, spices, then slice up the grilled veggies and toss them in.
Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad is so delicious that those “non-salad” eaters will like this! Packed with perfectly grilled veggies, quinoa, spices, and topped with a creamy avocado sauce is a great weekday lunch, hearty dinner, or even a great dish to bring to a backyard party! Serve this salad on a bed of baby greens topped with feta cheese and a drizzle of Quick & Easy Avocado Crema. I like to squeeze lime juice on top to really step up the flavor! Only 3 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving!
I hope you enjoy these bites of flavor!
Serves 4
3 SMARTPOINTS per serving
10 minPrep Time
40 minCook Time
50 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Yellow Squash
- Half Red Bell Pepper
- ½ Red Onion
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Cups Cooked Quinoa
- 1 ½ Cup Canned Black Beans
- 1 Teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Oregano
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Cilantro
- 1 Cup Grape Tomatoes
- 4 Cups Baby Mixed Greens
- ¼ Cup Fat Free Feta Cheese
- Lime Wedge, for garnish
- Serve with Quick & Easy Avocado Crema
Instructions
- Cut squash in half-length wise and set aside.
- Cut red bell pepper in half, remove seeds and stem and set aside.
- Cut onion in half, then into quarters, and set aside.
- Brush cut side of squash, bell pepper, and onion with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a grill pan on the stove over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Place squash, bell pepper, and onion cut side down on grill. Grill for 8 minutes.
- Flip red bell pepper and onion and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove vegetables from the grill. Once vegetables have cooled, slice squash into ½ inch slices.
- Slice bell pepper and onions.
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- In a large bowl, mix together, quinoa, cilantro, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, black beans, tomatoes, and sliced vegetables.
- Fill each bowl with handful of baby greens, quinoa veggie mixture, garnish with lime wedge, feta cheese and drizzle with Quick & Easy Avocado Crema.
Notes
Nutrition is based on the NEW Weight Watchers Freestyle Program guidelines. Nutrition calculated using Weight Watchers calculator.
NUTRITION: Serves 4 - (3 SmartPoints Per Serving) CALORIES: 119 FAT: 1.9 SATURATED FAT: 0.2 CARBS: 19.8 FIBER: 2.6 SUGARS: 0 PROTEIN: 5.8
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18 Comments
Casey the College Celiac
May 23, 2017 at 12:16 pm This looks UNBELIEVABLY TASTY!!! Casey the College Celiac recently posted...Dye-Free Coconut Rainbow Cookies (Gluten Free, Vegan)Kristine
May 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm It's SO good! Thanks Casey :)Rose
May 23, 2017 at 2:43 pm Congrats on your anniversary!! I'm glad you had such a nice visit with your parents. The salad sounds awesome. I love lighter meals for warmer weather and am always looking for dishes with lots of veggies. Rose recently posted...Hawaiian Roll Ham and Swiss Cheese SlidersKristine
May 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm Thank you so much Rose!Brittany Ferrell
May 23, 2017 at 8:02 pm This looks like the perfect recipe for summer. I crave light and easy during the summer months and this looks perfect! I love the idea of grilling the vegetables for that added texture and flavor. It makes a very healthy dish seem so indulgent!Kristine
May 24, 2017 at 12:18 pm I love grilling veggies in the Summer also! Thanks Brittany :)Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
May 24, 2017 at 12:25 pm This looks amazing and healthy, and I bet it holds up great for leftovers!Giustina
May 24, 2017 at 2:42 pm This sounds & looks amazing! I love grilled vegetables! <3Giustina
May 24, 2017 at 2:42 pm This sounds & looks amazing! I love grilled vegetables! :)Marquita @LovetheLaniers
May 24, 2017 at 2:48 pm So glad you're enjoying Indy, we have some good friends who recently moved there and they love it!!! We over here love quinoa salads. I make them fairly often and they're my go to dish to bring to bbq's but I've never grilled the veggies! That would make for such a great extra layer of flavor! It's going down this weekend for sure! :)Divya
May 24, 2017 at 3:00 pm I could seriously eat this every single day! Grilling vegetables is my favorite way to eat them!Naomi // My Fair Olinda
May 24, 2017 at 4:23 pm Mmm, yum! I love quinoa. I had a quinoa breakfast bowl the other day and it was amazing. I can't wait to try this salad out. And YES grilled veggies are the best. xoxo Naomi www.myfairolinda.comMarta Rivera
May 24, 2017 at 4:38 pm That looks amazingly refreshing! I love that you can change up the veggies as you need to.Robin
May 24, 2017 at 8:31 pm I've never thought of using grilled vegetables in a salad before - perfect for summer! I'll have to give this a try with a ll of the veggies (and maybe even fruits) that I love! Robin recently posted...Exploring California: The Presidio, Sunset District & Sea CliffHalley
May 25, 2017 at 11:47 am Yumm!! What a great dish for the summer and you don't have to feel guilty after, I can't wait to try it :)Kristine
May 26, 2017 at 9:07 am It's so perfect for summer! Thanks Halley!!Christine
June 4, 2017 at 10:59 pm We're always looking for light and healthy grilled recipes - This looks perfect!Kristine
June 6, 2017 at 11:02 am Oh awesome! Glad you found this recipe Christine :)