30 minutes of prepping and you'll have delicious grab-and-go lunches all week! These Make-Ahead Greek Quinoa Stacks are easy, healthy and full of fresh flavors. Perfect for the hot summer months!
Hello everyone! My name is Erin Collins and I am guest posting from Meaningful Eats today. Congratulations to Lacey and Dustin and their new baby! Having a newborn in the house is such a special, yet hectic time. Wishing them the best with their transition to 4 kids! I have 2 little boys and am currently 33 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. So our transition to 3 kids is just around the corner. Wish us luck!
I know I'm not alone when I say I love all the approachable, clean-eating recipes on A Sweet Pea Chef. Lacey is brilliant when it comes to creating healthy versions of comfort food favorites! I eat totally gluten-free because I have celiac disease and I love how many of Lacey's recipes are naturally gluten-free. She makes healthy eating totally delicious!
Planning ahead is key when it comes to eating healthy or following a special diet. I have 2 busy little boys and find lunch is the hardest meal of the day for me to eat something nourishing. Like any mom, I've had plenty of days where I end up eating scraps of my kids food while cleaning up the kitchen. When I do this I always end up super hungry by late afternoon! Taking time for meal prep has helped me stay on track with getting a good lunch.
These Make-Ahead Greek Quinoa Stacks are perfect for a light summer lunch! With 30 minutes of prep you can have lunch ready to go all week. My husband also loves lunches like this that he can grab as he heads out the door for work.
These stacks are made with a lemony vinaigrette, chickpeas, quinoa and all my Greek salad favorites. The trick with mason jar salads is to layer everything in a certain order so more perishable ingredients stay fresh. In these stacks the chickpeas sit on the bottom to soak up the flavors in the vinaigrette. The cucumbers, tomatoes and parsley are at the top of the stacks so they stay crisp and fresh. Just make sure to keep the jar upright if you're taking it on-the-go.
I use pint-sized mason jars to make these salads and love topping them with these reusable plastic lids. When you're ready to eat, just pour the salad out onto a plate or bowl and mix everything with the dressing. If you love mason jar lunches as much as I do, you'll love Lacey's Chicken Cobb Mason Jar Salads or these Thai Chicken Sweet Potato Mason Jar Salads from my site!
Make-Ahead Greek Quinoa Stacks
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup olive oil
For the Quinoa Stacks:
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups quinoa, cooked
- ¼ cup red onion
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 ½ cups Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. Whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and whisk to incorporate.
- Divide the dressing between 4 pint-sized mason jars. Layer the ingredients evenly in the mason jars in this order: chickpeas, quinoa, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and parsley.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days. When ready to serve empty onto a plate or bowl and mix together. Enjoy!
Sami
Hello,
I just made this and it is delicious! However, I put the recipe into My Fitness Pal and it came up with much more calories and macronutrients than you have listed here. I figured I would pass that info along.
Kathy
Can't wait to try this recipe! Thanks for filling in Erin 🙂 and good luck with #3! Congratulations to Lacey & Her Family 🙂
Dawn
Awesome recipe! I ate the second jar today and have two more to go! Thanks for sharing a recipe that is easy and healthy to take to work.