Mediterranean Roasted Pepper Quinoa (Printable)

Fluffy quinoa with roasted peppers, fresh vegetables, and feta in lemon-herb dressing.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup uncooked quinoa
02 - 2 cups water or vegetable broth

→ Roasted Vegetables

03 - 2 large red bell peppers, cored and quartered
04 - 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and quartered
05 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
06 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Fresh Vegetables & Toppings

08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 1 small cucumber, diced
10 - 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
11 - 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
12 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
13 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette

14 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
16 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
17 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
18 - 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
19 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Toss bell peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Arrange skin-side up on baking sheet. Roast for 20–25 minutes, until skins are charred and flesh is tender. Let cool, then peel off skins and slice into strips.
03 - While peppers roast, rinse quinoa under cold water. In a saucepan, combine quinoa and water or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and let cool slightly.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, minced garlic, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
05 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, roasted pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and parsley. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.
06 - Divide among bowls and top each with crumbled feta. Serve immediately or chill for later.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Its that perfect meal when you want something nourishing but not heavy, like eating sunshine on a plate
  • The roasted peppers add this incredible depth that makes even simple quinoa feel restaurant-worthy
  • You can prep everything ahead and its actually better the next day when flavors have had time to mingle
02 -
  • If you skip rinsing the quinoa, your entire bowl will have this weird bitter undertone that you cant quite place but will definitely notice
  • Letting those roasted peppers cool slightly makes peeling off the charred skins so much easier, trust me on this timing
  • The vinaigrette might seem thick at first but once it hits all those vegetables, it loosens up beautifully
03 -
  • Rinse your quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve for at least 30 seconds until the water runs completely clear
  • Roast extra peppers while the oven is hot and use them throughout the week in sandwiches, pasta, or just straight up as a snack

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