This delicious watermelon arugula salad with quinoa and feta is packed with flavor and texture thanks to juicy watermelon, fresh mint, almonds, and an easy champagne vinaigrette! It's a delicious side dish or healthy, filling vegetarian lunch. (gluten-free)
Once upon a time, Panera Bread had a seasonal arugula salad with watermelon, quinoa, feta cheese and almonds. For the short time that I lived near a Panera, I was obsessed with it. I decided right away that I needed to recreate it at home. That's how this delightful recipe was born. You're welcome, enjoy.
Why You'll Love This Watermelon Quinoa Salad
This will become your go-to summer salad. It's so light and refreshing, but at the same time hearty enough for a meal or substantial side. It starts with a base of peppery arugula and quinoa, which gets topped and tossed with sweet, juicy watermelon, toasted almonds, fresh mint, and salty feta. The sweet and tangy vinaigrette made with dijon, honey and champagne vinegar is just the punch of flavor to tie it all together into a crave-worthy salad. This salad is my go-to for prep-ahead friendly lunches and summer backyard gatherings.
What Makes This Salad Healthy?
Watermelon is also super nutritious! It's made of 92% water, so it's great for staying hydrated in the hot summer months. It's also full of nutrients like vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin C, and lycopene. Besides nutrient-dense watermelons, this arugula grain salad has the perfect balance of complex carbs (hi, whole grain quinoa!), plant protein (thanks again to quinoa and also almonds), and healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied.
The Ingredients
- Arugula
- Mint
- Cooked quinoa
- Watermelon
- Feta cheese
- Almonds
- Champagne vinaigrette - a simple mix of honey, dijon, champagne vinegar and olive oil
How To Make It
- Cook the quinoa if it is not already cooked (here's how).
- Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together. You can make it even easier by shaking it all together in a jar or salad dressing shaker.
- Toast the almonds on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't burn!
- Toss together the arugula, quinoa watermelon, feta, mint and almonds in a large bowl. Drizzle in as much vinaigrette as you like - I always start with half and add more as needed. Serve!
Can It Be Made In Advance?
While I wouldn't assemble the salad too far in advance (the arugula will get soggy and the mint brown), everything else can be done ahead to make your life easy! Cook the quinoa, toast the almonds, make the dressing, and cube the watermelon all ahead of time so that you can throw it together and serve at a moment's notice. The quinoa and dressing will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in separate airtight containers.
More Delicious Watermelon Recipes
- Watermelon Beet Goat Cheese Salad
- Sparkling Watermelon Mint Lemonade
- Watermelon Feta Mint Salad
- Grilled Shrimp and Jicama Melon Salad With Herb Vinaigrette
- Easy Melon Ball Salad
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintWatermelon Arugula Salad with Quinoa and Feta
This delicious watermelon arugula salad with quinoa and feta is packed with flavor and texture thanks to juicy watermelon, fresh mint, almonds, and an easy champagne vinaigrette! It's a delicious side dish or healthy, filling vegetarian lunch. (gluten-free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 5 cups packed baby arugula
- ½ cup packed mint leaves, roughly torn
- ¾ cup cooked quinoa
- 2 cups watermelon, cut into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
Champagne Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 3 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Toast almonds: Heat oven to 350°F. Place almonds on a small baking sheet and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Watch carefully as they will burn quickly. Remove from oven and cool.
- Meanwhile, make champagne dijon vinaigrette buy whisking together all vinaigrette ingredients.
- Cut watermelon into cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss arugula, mint, quinoa, watermelon, feta and almonds with desired amount of dressing. I start with about half and add more as needed.
- Gently toss and serve or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve, up to 4 hours.
Notes
- If you can't find champagne vinegar at your local grocery store, you can substitute white wine vinegar. You can also find it on Amazon.
- The dressing, quinoa, almonds, and watermelon can all be prepped days in advance. I don't recommend assembling the salad too far ahead of time to avoid soggy arugula.
Keywords: watermelon arugula salad, watermelon feta quinoa salad, watermelon feta grain salad, Panera watermelon salad
This post was originally published July 2018 and has been updated.
Kenny says
I make this all the time, especially in summer, it’s so refreshing and always a fave! The recipe is spot on too.
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
I'm so glad you like it. It's one of my favorite summer salads!
Stephanie Barlow says
I wish I had this right now!
Kaleigh says
It's been my lunch on repeat so much lately!