Rainbow Salad Bowl (Printable)

A colorful mix of fresh vegetables, grains, beans, and seeds with zesty dressing

# What You'll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
04 - 1 cup grated carrots
05 - 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves
07 - 1 small cucumber, sliced

→ Legumes

08 - 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Nuts and Seeds

10 - 1/3 cup roasted cashews, chopped
11 - 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
12 - 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

→ Dressing

13 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup
16 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
17 - 1 garlic clove, minced
18 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Garnish

19 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

# How To Make It:

01 - Cook quinoa according to package instructions and allow to cool completely before using.
02 - Halve cherry tomatoes, shred purple cabbage, grate carrots, dice yellow bell pepper, and slice cucumber. Keep each vegetable separate.
03 - Arrange cooled quinoa, prepared vegetables, drained chickpeas, drained black beans, chopped cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds in a large salad bowl in colorful sections.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
05 - Drizzle prepared dressing over salad just before serving and gently toss to combine, or serve dressing on the side.
06 - Garnish salad with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's colorful enough to make you actually excited about eating your vegetables, which feels like winning at life.
  • You can prep it ahead and it gets better as it sits, making it the perfect bring-along dish for gatherings.
  • Every bite delivers different textures and flavors, so you never get bored halfway through your bowl.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than fifteen minutes before serving unless you're keeping dressing separate—wet vegetables lose their appeal fast, but this salad actually improves over a few hours if you've been gentle with the tossing.
  • The temperature difference between cool grains and room-temperature vegetables creates a texture surprise that makes every bite feel intentional instead of mushy.
03 -
  • Prep all vegetables the morning of and store in separate containers—this way you can assemble the salad in minutes when hunger strikes, and everything stays at peak crispness.
  • If you're taking this to a potluck or packing it for lunch, dress only the portion you're eating immediately and keep grains, vegetables, beans, and dressing separate until the last moment—it'll travel and taste fresher than you'd expect.
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