Rainbow Carrot Salad with Quinoa

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This gorgeous rainbow carrot salad with quinoa and feta is a warm salad that makes for a great vegetarian main course or delicious side salad.

You'll use a Y-peeler or mandolin to shave the carrots into long strips. You'll combine these carrot ribbons with the warm, just-cooked quinoa; this will make the carrots tender and tasty, without you having to cook them.

Why You'll Love This Carrot Quinoa Salad

This warm salad recipe is hearty and healthy. It's a riot of color from the shaved rainbow carrots, fresh herbs, red quinoa, and chopped pistachios.

This is a recipe you can feel great about - it's packed with protein, fiber, calcium, antioxidants, and good fats. It's a filling meal that's as healthy as it is delicious.

Ingredients You'll Need

Rainbow Carrots - You'll use ½ pound of rainbow carrots.

Quinoa - You'll use ½ cup of uncooked red (or white) quinoa. This will make 2 cups of cooked quinoa.

Herbs - You'll need ½ cup of parsley and ¼ cup of dill.

Feta - You'll use 2 ounces of crumbly feta to top the salad.

Dressing - For the dressing, you'll use 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon of paprika, and 2 cloves of minced garlic.

Pistachios - You'll top the salad with 2 tablespoons of chopped pistachios.

All About Rainbow Carrots

What is a rainbow carrot? Rainbow carrots are colorful, heirloom carrots (usually a mix of orange, white, yellow, and purple) that have the same flavor as regular orange carrots. They can be used the same way as regular orange carrots - in salads, soups, appetizers, and more. 

Are rainbow carrots better than regular carrots? Brightly colored vegetables are always a good idea - they have great health benefits. All carrots are a great source of vitamin A, beta carotene, and calcium. Some studies have shown that purple carrots have more beta carotene and antioxidants than orange carrots, but bottom line - all carrots are good for you!

Do rainbow carrots taste different? Rainbow carrots taste very similar to orange carrots. The deeply pigmented carrots (red or purple) are slightly sweeter than orange carrots.

When are rainbow carrots in season? Rainbow carrots are available year-round, making them a great vegetable to cook with any time of the year.

Where to buy rainbow carrots? Rainbow carrots are often available at grocery stores (like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s) as well as farmer’s markets and farm stands. 

More Warm Salad Recipes to Try

These delicious salads are comforting and delicious, try some of our favorite warm salad recipes.

• French Potato Salad - a delicious salad with green beans, eggs, and potatoes.
• Turkish Potato Salad (Patates Salatasi) - warm potatoes with loads of fresh herbs.
• Spring Farro Salad - a farro salad with asparagus, radishes, and herbs.
• Endive Salad Bites with Grilled Feta - a beautiful and tasty endive salad with a dippable feta center.

Be sure to check out our favorite Spring Salads post and our Winter Salad Recipes posts too!

Tips for Making this Recipe

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Cooking Tips - Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, but feel free to substitute the water for vegetable stock for a more tasty quinoa.

Specialty Ingredients - I like Ancient Harvest's red quinoa, and would highly recommend it.

Recommended Tools - You can use any vegetable peeler for this, but I have one I love - it's a little fancy. It's called the Rosle swivel peeler.

Storing Tips - You can save this salad in the refrigerator for up to three days.

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