Jennifer Aniston Salad

4.97 from 482 votes

This Jennifer Aniston salad combines quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, fresh herbs, feta and pistachios, all tossed with lemon juice and olive oil. It comes together in 25 minutes and has 14 grams of protein per serving.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Brittany Mullins

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa or bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 cup cucumber chopped
½ cup parsley chopped
½ cup mint chopped
⅓ cup red onion chopped
½ cup roasted and salted pistachios chopped
1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 lemons juiced (about 5-6 Tablespoons)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
ground pepper to taste
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Rinse and drain the quinoa. Add the quinoa and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. You’ll know it’s done when the grains have popped open and you can see the little white “tails.” Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool completely.
1 cup uncooked quinoa , 2 cups water

Short on time? Spread the cooked quinoa out on a baking sheet or large plate and pop it in the fridge for 20–30 minutes to help it cool faster.

In a large bowl, stir together cooked and cooled quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and feta.
1 cup cucumber, ½ cup parsley, ½ cup mint, ⅓ cup red onion, ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, 2 lemons, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper, ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving.

Video

Notes

Bulgur: To use bulgur instead of quinoa, cook 1 cup dry bulgur according to the package instructions. Fluff with a fork and let cool completely before adding it to the salad.
Make ahead: The quinoa can be cooked 1–2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
Storage: Store the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep the pistachios separate until serving if you want them to remain extra crunchy.

Nutrition