Quinoa asparagus lunch salad is a hearty protein packed vegetarian lunch that is meal prep friendly, and packed with plant based proteins!
There are a few types of salads in my meal prep life. The lunch salad is one of them!
Lunch salads are hearty and are the they of salad you could eat as a meal.
This quinoa asparagus lunch salad is one of them!
Loaded with hearty veggies, and quinoa for protein, this salad is topped off with a super simple dressing to get the fat in to make this a power packed lunch.
I also added edamame beans to this for even more protein – to satiate me through that 3 pm craving to the candy table at work. Yes, a candy table!
You certainly don’t need purple asparagus for this recipe. I saw these purple beauties in the grocery store and wanted to try them.
For the record, they taste exactly like the regular green variety and turn mostly green when you cook them!
For the workweek, I mix this salad up (leaving the dressing out) and then portion it into mason jars, with the dressing on the bottom. When ready to eat, I shake it up, or dump it into a bowl.
Are you ready for a plant based lunch this week?
I want to see you make this! Tag @mealplanaddict on Instagram, or come over to the Meal Plan Addict Community and post a photo!
Quinoa Asparagus Lunch Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1 cup red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 7 spears asparagus, steamed to desired tenderness, cut into 1 inch pieces
Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch salt and pepper
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, minced go easy on this!
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and all of the veggies. Set aside.
- In a small jar, combine the dressing ingredients. Place a lid on the jar and shake. You can also whisk the ingredients in a bowl.
- If you are prepping the salad for a portable meal prep lunch, pour 2 tablespoons of the dressing into a jar, then add the salad.
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