Roasted Salmon Quinoa Bowls with Avocado, Cucumber & Green Goddess Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This salmon quinoa bowl is one of those dinners that checks all the boxes: healthy, satisfying, and packed with fresh flavor. With plenty of make-ahead components, it’s easy enough for a weeknight but good enough to look forward to all day.
This feel-good roasted salmon quinoa bowl recipe is the perfect mix of wholesome and crave-worthy. Quinoa serves as the hearty base, topped with tender roasted salmon, creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, and a generous spoonful of green goddess dressing. The quinoa and dressing can be made ahead, so all that’s left is roasting the salmon, and it’s done in just 10 minutes.
You can easily swap the quinoa for other healthy grains like bulgur or brown rice, and mix in whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just don’t skip the green goddess dressing—it’s the magic that ties everything together.
“This is a delicious, fresh and healthy one dish meal that my whole family loved. We all licked our bowls clean…”
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Salmon Quinoa Bowls
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Prepare the salmon. Grease a foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the salmon with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper, place on the baking sheet, and drizzle with another tablespoon of oil.
Pro Tip: If you don’t mind a repeat performance, for easy weeknight prep, roast extra salmon and keep it chilled—these bowls are great cold, too.
Step 2. Roast the salmon. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until just cooked through.
Step 3. Prep the quinoa. While the salmon roasts, toss the quinoa with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Pro Tip: Make sure to always rinse quinoa before cooking it. This removes its natural bitter coating (saponin). Even pre-rinsed brands benefit from a quick rinse.
Step 4. Assemble the bowls. Spoon about 1 cup of quinoa into each bowl. Top with a piece of roasted salmon, sliced cucumbers, and diced avocado. Sprinkle the avocado and cucumbers with a little salt, then add fresh herbs if using. Serve with green goddess dressing and lemon wedges.
Swaps & Pro Tips
- Switch up the base: Farro, couscous, barley, or even cauliflower rice can stand in for quinoa if you want to change the flavor or texture.
- Vary the veggies: Use veggies you have on hand, like diced zucchini or bell pepper, edamame, corn kernels, halved cherry tomatoes, etc.
- Meal-prep shortcut: Buy precooked quinoa from the freezer section—it heats in minutes and tastes just as good as homemade.
- Make it a DIY bowl bar: Set out the salmon, quinoa, veggies, herbs, and dressing so everyone can assemble their own—great for a crowd.
More Flavor-Packed Bowls to Try
Roasted Salmon Quinoa Bowls with Avocado, Cucumber & Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package instructions (see note), at room temperature
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small English or hothouse cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, pitted and diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, like chives, basil, tarragon, or parsley, for serving (optional)
- Green goddess dressing
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-in (33 x 46-cm) baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Grease the foil-lined baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the salmon with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Place the salmon on the greased baking sheet and drizzle with another tablespoon of the oil. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until the salmon is just cooked through.
- Meanwhile, toss the cooked quinoa with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Assemble the bowls: Spoon about 1 cup of quinoa into each bowl. Top each bowl with a piece of roasted salmon, sliced cucumbers, and diced avocado. Sprinkle the avocado and cucumbers with a little salt. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs, if using. Serve with the bowls with the green goddess dressing and lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
So delicious! The whole family enjoyed this one so much we planted our own herb garden so that we’d always have the herbs needed to make that Goddress Dressing! Thank you for my new go-to salmon meal!
The salmon quinoa bowls were fantastic and were even a hit with the kids, which is saying something! I loved all the flavors—fresh, satisfying and delicious!
I was SUPER excited to see another grain bowl recipe on OUAC. And as usual Jenn does not disappoint – a gold star recipe. I prepped all of this over the weekend minus the avocado and threw the salmon on the grill right before dinner since we prefer it that way. We had enough for leftovers for lunch the next day and ate it with cold salmon – just as delicious. I have learned to double the sauce in Jenn’s recipes because I invariably want more! I’m so glad I made extra of the green goddess dressing as I’ve been using it all week – over chopped salad, over roasted veggies.
Should the salmon be warm along with the quinoa when served? I would like to prep beforehand but was wondering. It sounds amazing and I want to make tonight for a light dinner! Can’t wait!
By the way, we love your recipes, Jenn. I have been asked so many times by my family when they like a recipe I prepare, if it’s one of yours- it more than likely is :)))
Thank you again. You are a wonderful chef we can all aspire to try and emulate :))))
So glad your family likes the recipes!! The salmon should be warm or room temperature.
This looks soooooo delish! Question on the quinoa – in the ingredient list, it says 1 cup of quinoa. Is that 1 cup uncooked? Because in the serving instructions I think I read that each plate gets a cup of quinoa… this is one of those questions I feel dumb asking because it should be a no-brainer, but before I overthink myself into a complete flurry, I thought I’d ask. Just to be 100% certain…
Not a silly question! The 1 cup of quinoa specified in the ingredients is uncooked. Once you cook it, you’ll have enough for 4 servings of about 1 cup each. Hope that clarifies and that you enjoy!
Delicious! This is the perfect spring/summer dinner. The green goddess dressing was flavorful and is delicious on the salmon. Also, unbelievably little time to prepare and can be done in advance (except cutting the avocado). We will be making this often. Thanks.
This was SO good! The dressing really makes it fabulous. Leftover dressing was great on a simple green salad during the week. I will definitely make this again. So light and refreshing!
Made this tonight. Whole family enjoyed it. Super tasty. My teenage daughter who complains when I make salmon asked for more salmon! Total winner!!! Highly recommend.
Healthy and delicious! I used a regular cucumber and green onions I have growing in my yard. This recipe is a winner.
My daughter made this fabulous recipe for dinner tonight !!! Delicious !!! She added kale to the mix also which is a great way to get your greens in an make it even more nutritious and delicious. Thanks for your many amazing recipes. We make many over and over again and this is another one we will be making many times !