Greek Quinoa Bowl

Enjoy a healthy vegetarian lunch or dinner with this Greek quinoa bowl! Packed with fresh produce and filled with protein and fibre, it’s an easy make-ahead recipe that’s perfect for busy weeknights or easy lunches. Easily customizable and super satisfying, this simple recipe is perfect for even the most inexperienced cook. 

How to Cook Quinoa

Cooking quinoa is very similar to cooking rice, so if you’ve done that, this will be a breeze! The first step for cooking quinoa is to rinse it. Place your quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it well before transferring it to a pot on the stove. This will wash away the naturally occurring insecticide known as saponins, which can give the quinoa a bitter taste. 

Using the package instructions, measure out how much quinoa and water you’ll need for your Greek quinoa bowl (or bowls). You can add both to the pot at the same time. Bring the pot to a boil before reducing the heat, covering it, and allowing the quinoa to simmer for about 15 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, covered, for at least 10 minutes. Before serving, fluff with a fork, season it if you’d like (we like a bit of salt, pepper, and lemon juice) and enjoy! If you’re prepping your quinoa to be used later, allow for the quinoa to cool before transferring to an airtight container and placing in the fridge. 

What You Need To Make This Greek Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa: A great source of fibre, as well as containing protein, antioxidants, and important minerals, quinoa also happens to be gluten-free. That means everyone is able to enjoy this quinoa bowl recipe! Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the package for the best results. You can even prepare it a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge for busy days when you need to quickly pull together something delicious.  

Veggies: Cucumber and grape tomatoes are our chosen veggies for this quinoa bowl. Crisp, crunchy cucumbers offer a light, refreshing texture, while halved grape tomatoes provide a pop of colour and burst of juicy flavour. We chose Lebanese cucumbers for their crisp, mildly sweet flavour, but English cucumbers work just as well. 

Olives: For a deliciously briny bite, we added ½ cup of Farm Boy™ Jumbo Kalamata Olives. These olives are grown on a family farm in the Macedonian region of Greece and are classified as Grade A. They have a wonderful tanginess similar to that of red wine vinegar, which really allows them to pop in this quinoa bowl recipe. We’ve left them whole, but feel free to slice them or pick up our Sliced Kalamata Olives instead. 

Hummus: At Farm Boy, our line of hummus is made without any artificial colours or flavours, just pure, simple ingredients. Our Roasted Garlic Hummus gives this bowl an extra punch of flavour, while also acting as a dressing of sorts. Once this Greek quinoa bowl is mixed together, the hummus helps to coat the ingredients for an authentic Mediterranean taste. 

Cheese: Feta cheese provides a salty, tangy bite to this quinoa bowl. Our Barrel Aged Feta is made using traditional Greek methods and a combination of sheep’s and goat’s milks. Crumbled feta cheese infuses this quinoa recipe with a delicious sharpness that keeps you coming back, bite after bite. 

Make-Ahead Tips

If you’re looking to meal prep, this Greek quinoa bowl is an excellent one to make ahead of time. When we have all our ingredients prepped and ready to go, it’s a lot more likely we’ll actually use them, rather than leaving them to rot in the back of the fridge or go stale in our cupboard. A few make-ahead tips for this quinoa bowl recipe are: 

1. Cook quinoa ahead of time. After you’ve made your quinoa and allowed it to cool, transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the fridge. Stored this way, it can still be enjoyed 3 to 5 days later. 
2. Cut up all your veggies. It can be a pain to wash and chop all the fresh veggies that go in this Greek quinoa bowl, which is why we recommend doing it as part of your meal prep if you’re crunched for time. Whatever veggies you’re using can be chopped up and stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. 
3. Cook your protein. If you’re adding additional protein to this quinoa bowl recipe, you can easily cook it before you need it. Like the cooked quinoa and fresh veggies, simply store your chosen protein in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. Then, when you’re ready to enjoy your Greek quinoa bowl, you won’t have to wait for your protein to cook! 

Customize Your Greek Quinoa Bowl

Add Dressing: If you’re worried about your Greek quinoa bowl being a little dry, add some salad dressing! While the hummus helps to add moisture to this recipe,extra dressing will transform your bowl into more of a quinoa salad. We recommend trying our Greek Dressing or Mediterranean Vinaigrette. They’re made in Ontario with simple, real ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and herbs and pack a good burst of flavour. 

Switch out the Grain: Not the biggest fan of quinoa? That’s okay! You could sub in brown rice, white rice, or farro instead. If you’re extra-strapped for time and need something quick, convenient, and easy, you could also try this Greek quinoa bowl with Farm Boy™ Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa. Ready in just one minute, it has zero additives: just organic brown rice, organic red quinoa, and water. 

Swap Veggies: We’ve chosen cucumber and cherry tomatoes for our veggies in this recipe, partially for how they look and taste, but also because they’re very accessible. However, you don’t need to limit yourself when it comes to veggies in this quinoa bowl. Bell peppers, radishes, red onions, roasted broccoli, and even roasted sweet potatoes would all be delicious in this bowl. 

Add Some More Protein: If you’re looking for a heartier bowl that’ll keep you feeling fuller longer, add some more protein. For those following a plant-based or vegetarian diet, roasted chickpeas are a delicious way to add more fibre and protein (and added crunch). Grilled chicken would also be a satisfying addition to this quinoa bowl, as would grilled or roasted salmon. 

Change the Cheese: We love crumbled feta cheese in this recipe for its salty, tangy bite. If it’s not your favourite, though, there are plenty of other options. Our soft and creamy Original Goat’s Milk Cheese would be a great choice, or you could try something unexpected, like halloumi. Our Halloumi Cheese comes in three different flavours—Garlic & Herb, Original, and Spicy Chili—and would benefit from a little bit of char or served sliced in this Greek quinoa bowl. This Mediterranean semi-soft cheese is a bit salty and has a fun, squeaky mouthfeel. If you’re following a plant-based diet, you can also swap the feta cheese for our Vegan Feta Style Cheese Alternative, which offers the same salty, tangy taste. 

Try a Different Dip: We chose our Roasted Garlic Hummus as our dip for this quinoa bowl recipe, but you can choose any of our other flavours. Lemon Garlic or Roasted Red Pepper would be excellent for a little bit of brightness or smokiness. If you’d prefer something other than hummus, try our Tzatziki. Thick and creamy, this Middle Eastern dip and spread is made from sour cream and has refreshing notes of cucumber and mint. Have something nutty in mind? A small spoonful of our Tahini thinned out with fresh lemon juice and water would be an excellent addition. 

Freshen Up with Herbs: We garnished our Greek quinoa bowl with locally grown Farm Boy™ Microgreens, but you can add some fresh herbs as well. Fresh parsley, fresh mint, and fresh dill would all add a wonderfully herbaceous note to this quinoa bowl recipe, while staying authentic to Mediterranean cuisine. 

More Greek-Inspired Recipes from Farm Boy

Looking for more Greek-inspired recipes? Check out any of the dishes below! 

Whipped Feta Spread 

Cheesy Onion, Leek, and Spinach Hand Pies 

Watermelon, Cucumber, & Feta Salad 

Honey Walnut Phyllo Rolls 

Clementine Olive Oil Cake 

More Quinoa Recipes from Farm Boy

Looking for more recipes that use quinoa? Check out any of the dishes below! 

Warm Quinoa, Asparagus, and Green Bean Salad 

Festive Quinoa Pilaf 

Mediterranean Bean, Kale, & Quinoa Salad 

Salmon Quinoa Cakes 

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash 

Quinoa and Veggie Jar Salad