Delicious Pesto Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas ~ Macheesmo

I am constantly on the lookout for good lunch dishes that are something different from the classic sandwich. It’s a tough deal because you want something tasty and delicious, but it also needs to be filling and healthy. Pesto quinoa salad is always a winner. It stores well and

If I don’t have a filling lunch, I find myself snacking on chips around 4:00 p.m. OK. Sometimes I snack no matter what, but it’s especially bad if I skip a hearty lunch.

quinoa Was the perfect base for my lunchtime salad experiments. It has a good amount of protein and fiber which will keep you full. It also has a great texture and can be tossed with a huge list of other delicious ingredients.

In short, quinoa is the king of my salads.

How to make good quinoa

Cooking quinoa can be tricky to cook. You can follow the directions on the package and usually it will be fine, but personally, I like to boil the grain, like I cook pasta.

While the quinoa is cooking, spoon a few grains of it every few minutes to check. When the quinoa has opened up a bit (you’ll see a little tail in the grain) and is soft, then you want to drain the quinoa so it stops cooking.

Then return the quinoa to the pot and cover it. Remove from the heat, let it steam for 5 minutes and it will be perfect for salads!

If you want to make a half batch of this salad, the quinoa freezes great. Just cool it completely and then seal it in a freezer bag. Try to get as much air out as possible and it will keep in your freezer for a few months. So you can just defrost it in the microwave (low power) when needed.

Making the pesto For this quinoa salad

I make pesto all the time and love to play with the flavors. A little more garlic or pine nuts can really change the flavor of this and make it very different. If you make this, don’t stress about the exact amounts. Just taste as you go and tune in.

Sometimes I’ll substitute another nut or seed like sunflower seeds or pistachios can make a really interesting pesto.

It only takes a minute or two to throw all the ingredients into the processor and run it together. When I make pesto, I usually make a double or triple batch and then freeze some pesto for later.

If you’re really in a hurry, you can use pesto in a jar as well without a problem.

Cutting practice

It’s okay for the quinoa to take a few minutes to cook because you’ll have a lot to cut to finish the salad.

The vegetables I used in the salad are just a suggestion. I would definitely keep the onion, feta and hummus. These are really nice flavor additions.

Try to cut all your ingredients so they are about the same size. The onion may need to be a little smaller.

Unless you’re an expert chopper, it will take a few minutes, but it’s worth it because you get meals for days out of it.

Combines everything

This quinoa pesto salad is very flexible. Start by adding your quinoa to your chopped vegetables and then add enough pesto to lightly coat the salad. You need about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pesto, but feel free to use more or less depending on your taste.

Over the years, I have made many different variations of this salad. I included things like roasted beets, or roasted nuts or seeds, and even spicy elements like roasted green chilies.

So let the record state that pesto plus quinoa plus a bunch of random veggies makes for a really good lunch!

Recipe for my pesto quinoa salad

Quinoa pesto salad

Quinoa mixed with a bunch of veggies, some feta and a nice homemade pesto makes for a great weekday lunch!

preparation time 20 subtlety

Cooking time 20 subtlety

Total time 1 hour

Course salad

kitchen American

• 8 ounces quinoa cooked
• 1 A small red onion cut into cubes
• 1 Red pepper cut into cubes
• 1 cucumber seeds, peeled and diced
• 1 14 oz. tin Chick peas Drained and washed
• 1 Goblet Feta cheese crumbled
• 1/3 Goblet parsley chopped

Basic Pesto:

• 2 cups basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 Goblet pine nuts
• 1/2 Goblet Olive oil
• 1/3 Goblet Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

• Mix the pesto ingredients in a processor and beat until combined.

• Cook quinoa according to the package and set aside.

• While the quinoa is cooking, chop all the vegetables.

• Combine vegetables with quinoa. Crumbled in feta. Toss with pesto.

• The salad is better if you let it cool before serving.

dose: 1bowlCalories: 336KKLCarbohydrates: 24Gprotein: 11GFat: 23GSaturated fat: 4GPolyunsaturated fat: 4GUnsaturated fat: 12GCholesterol: 13mgsodium: 240mgpotassium: 335mgfiber: 3GSugar: 3Gvitamin: 1058IUVitamin C: 26mgcalcium: 89mgiron: 2mg

Key word Light lunches, homemade pesto, lunch salad, quinoa recipes

did you do that?

Take a picture and tag @macheesmo So I can see your work.

Here are some more great recipes to try!