Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Feta (Jennifer Aniston Salad)

A large bowl of quinoa salad garnished with lemon and feta.

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Feta (Jennifer Aniston Salad)

This Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Feta is also known as the famous Jennifer Aniston Salad. Perfect for meal prep or a light lunch!

Course Lunch, Main Course, Main Dishes, Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Cooling time 20

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 461

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Ingredients

3 cups cooked and cooled quinoa about 1 cup dry quinoa*
15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed (AKA garbanzo beans)
1 english cucumber seeded and finely chopped** (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped fresh mint
⅓ cup minced red onion
6 ounces feta cheese crumbled*** (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup roasted pistachios roughly chopped (salted)

Dressing:

2 lemons juiced (about 6-8 tablespoons)
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Add the quinoa. Once your quinoa is cooked and cooled down, add it to a very large bowl.
Add the beans and veggies. Drain and rinse your chickpeas, then add them to the quinoa, along with the cucumber, parsley, mint, and red onion.
Toss to combine. Toss the salad well using two salad forks or a pair of tongs.
Feta and pistachios. Sprinkle in the crumbled feta cheese and pistachios, and toss once again – just until everything is evenly distributed.
Make the dressing. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, dijon, salt, and black pepper to a small glass jar or cruet. Whisk, shake, or blend to combine. Note: I like to use a mini milk frother to make dressing - it works great!
Pour in the dressing. Evenly pour the prepared dressing all over the salad, then toss well to distribute it.
Taste and adjust. Taste the salad and add more salt (or other ingredients) to your preference. Keep in mind that the flavor will improve once it has chilled for 1-2 hours.
Chill and serve. For the best results, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and extra crumbled feta cheese (if desired).

Notes

Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Note: it’s very important to seed the cucumber to reduce excess liquid during storing.

*Cooking quinoa: I like to make my quinoa in the Instant Pot for this recipe, but you can use whatever method you like best. You will need about 1 cup of dried quinoa to yield 3 cups of cooked quinoa.

I recommend spreading it out in a large container or plate to cool down more quickly.

Stovetop method:

1 cup dry quinoa (unrinsed)
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt

Rinse quinoa, then add it to a large saucepan along with the water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then stir, reduce the heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the lid. Allow the cooked quinoa to rest for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Instant Pot method:

1 cup dry quinoa (unrinsed)
1 ½ cups water
½ teaspoon salt

Cook on manual pressure for 3 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, do a 10-minute natural pressure release. Switch the valve to “venting” to do a quick pressure release, then open it carefully and fluff with a fork.

**Seeding cucumbers: To seed the cucumber, slice it in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the middle. Slice each half lengthwise into ¼-½" strips, then slice widthwise to form ¼" cubes. Persian or mini cucumbers can be used if available (they contain few seeds).

***Crumbling feta cheese: I like to purchase a block packed in brine and crumble it myself. This is easily done by placing the cheese on a cutting board and using the tines of a fork to gradually crumble it away from the edge of the block. It takes a little bit of time but saves a lot of money!

Nutrition