This quinoa panzanella with Brodo recipe is great for everyone trying to avoid gluten or grains in general. As the quinoa plant, Chenopodium quinoa, is in the same family as spinach, beets, and Swiss chard, it’s not a grain at all!
What’s more, quinoa is a great vessel for bone broth and for sopping up all the flavorful tomato juice in this protein-packed salad. On that note, if you’re hoping to make a double batch to eat throughout the week, keep the chopped tomatoes separate until serving to avoid everything getting soggy.
This salad is a delicious light meal on its own or it can be served with grilled salmon, chicken, or steak.
Note: This recipe comes from A Good Food Day by Brodo’s founder and head chef, Marco Canora. The version in the book includes salmon, which is why you see that in the recipe photo.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbs. capers (in brine or salt-packed), rinsed
- 1/2 cup quinoa cooked in Brodo (leftover is best, but you can also use freshly made quinoa after cooling it down)
- 1 cup Brodo (we prefer Organic Chicken or Signature Hearth)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- If you’re making the quinoa fresh for this recipe, rinse 1/2 cup quinoa through a fine-mesh strainer and drain thoroughly. Add drained quinoa and 1 cup Brodo along with a pinch of of fine sea salt to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. To cool it quickly, plunge the sauce pan in an an ice bath (you can use your sink or a large bowl). When the quinoa has cooled, fluff it with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and capers.
- Add the cooled quinoa, vinegar, and olive oil and toss well.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve.
