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I originally threw this filling “detox” salad together when my body was craving tons of veggies after a trip, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It’s loaded with ingredients that support and nourish your body and can feel like a “detox” after overdoing those less healthy foods or drinks! With feta, lemon zest, quinoa, olive oil, chickpeas, cauliflower, olives, kale, and more, this recipe makes a ton and stays good for several days, making it perfect meal prep too. Naturally gluten free and easy to make vegan!
Before You Get Started
- If you can’t find fresh asparagus and cauliflower then frozen will work fine. Just make sure anything frozen is completely defrosted, dried, and brought to room temperature before making the salad.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Prep.
Chop the cauliflower, kale, olives, and artichoke hearts. Slice the asparagus and green onions. Mince the garlic. Rinse the chickpeas. Cook the quinoa if needed (and let it cool completely).
Mix.
When all the prep’s done, plop everything in a big bowl and toss to combine!
What I Love About This Recipe
- “Detox” is a bit buzzwordy for my tastes, but I swear I’m not trying to sell you on a laxative tea or dietary supplements. This detox salad is full of satisfying, nourishing, whole-food ingredients to help you (and your body) feel and function at 100%. Seriously! It was everything my body was craving after a couple of vacation weeks full of decadent foods and more alcohol than usual. Now it’s a go-to whenever I want to balance out some recent over-indulgence.
- I love, love, love this salad SO much. It has a lot going on, and it all blends together beautifully. There’s so much inherent flavor from all the ingredients, with olive oil and just a touch of lemon flavor to brighten everything up even more.
- Not only is this detox salad absolutely incredible, it’s ridiculously easy to make. There’s a bit of prep work involved – chopping, draining, rinsing. But considering how much salad you get from this recipe, it’s absolutely worth the effort!
Recipe Variations
- Dress It Up: I kept things super simple, using olive oil and a little lemon juice and salt to bring out the natural flavors of the other ingredients in the salad. If you want a little more than that, though, I get it! Give my Ginger Salad Dressing Recipe, Best Ever Balsamic Vinaigrette, or Cilantro Lime Dressing a try.
- Make it Vegan: Just ditch the feta! Now you’ve got a vegan detox salad that’s just as flavorful as ever.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
My Favorite Detox Salad (Chickpea Quinoa Feta Salad)
Equipment
- extra-large mixing bowl
- 2 salad servers
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus approximately 1 bunch, cut into ½-inch-long pieces
- 2 cups chopped cauliflower approximately 1 pound or half of 1 medium head
- ½ pound lacinato kale approximately 1 bunch, chopped
- 3 cups cooked quinoa cooled, approximately 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- ½ cup pitted castelvetrano olives chopped
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans drained, rinsed
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions 1 bunch or approximately 6–8 individual green onions
- 6 ounces crumbled feta
- 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts drained, chopped
- ½ cup edamame shelled
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic approximately 3 large cloves
- ½ cup olive oil
- lemon zest from 2 medium lemons, approximately 2 tablespoons
- lemon juice from 2 medium lemons, approximately 4 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Add 1 pound asparagus, 2 cups chopped cauliflower, ½ pound lacinato kale, 3 cups cooked quinoa, ½ cup pitted castelvetrano olives, 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, 1 cup thinly sliced green onions, 6 ounces crumbled feta, 1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, ½ cup edamame, 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic, ½ cup olive oil lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt to large bowl.
- Toss ingredients together until well-blended.
- Portion salad into desired servings and enjoy!
- Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover salad in an airtight container(s) up to 7 days. If serving with a dressing, store the salad and dressing separately for maximum freshness.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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More of My Favorite Salad Recipes
- Nicoise Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Cajun Chicken Salad with Cajun Ranch Dressing
- Big Mac Salad
- Easy 7 Layer Salad with Homemade Dressing
- Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
- Viral Jennifer Aniston Salad Recipe
- Chicken Cobb Salad (Dairy Free, Whole30)
- Smoked Salmon Bagel Salad
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