Quinoa Salad with Pesto and Peas

A quick and easy light lunch to throw together packed with veggies and quinoa and dressed with pesto.

Course Lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine British

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings

Calories 568kcal

Author Sasha Hooper

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups (250g) cooked quinoa
1 cup (125g) frozen peas defrosted
2 large carrots peeled and coarsely grated
1 cup (100g) sugar snap peas sliced in half diagonally
½ cup (35g) extra mature cheddar coarsely grated
handful of pea shoots or greens of choice
¼ cup (35g) pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons pesto* see recipe notes
2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, toss together the quinoa, peas, grated carrots, sugar snaps, grated cheese and pea shoots.
2 cups (250g) cooked quinoa, 1 cup (125g) frozen peas, 2 large carrots, 1 cup (100g) sugar snap peas, ½ cup (35g) extra mature cheddar, handful of pea shoots
In a small frying pan, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat until they start to pop and jump in the pan. Add these to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.
¼ cup (35g) pumpkin seeds
Mix together the pesto, oil and lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper as desired. If serving straight away, add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Alternatively, keep the salad and the dressing in separate containers in the fridge until ready to eat. Will keep for 3 days.
2 tablespoons pesto*, 2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Notes

You can use any pesto you like for this. I tend to make my own, based on what's available in my fridge at the time. This time, I used a mix of pine nuts, almonds and walnuts (use whatever you prefer or have on hand), some extra mature cheddar, a clove of garlic, a handful each of basil, spinach and pea shoots, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Keep whatever you don't use for the salad in a jar, the surface of the pesto covered with oil.

Nutrition label is a rough estimate and will vary based on your pesto ingredients.

Nutrition