Delicious Pesto Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas ~ Macheesmo

I’m constantly on the lookout for good lunch dishes that are different than the classic sandwich. It’s a tough deal because you want something flavorful and delicious, but it also has to be filling and healthy. This Pesto Quinoa Salad is always a winner. It stores well and

If I don’t have a filling lunch, I snack on chips around 4 p.m. OK. I sometimes snack no matter what, but it’s especially bad when I skip a hearty lunch.

Quinoa was the perfect base for my lunch salad experiments. It has a good amount of protein and fiber that will keep you full. It also has great texture and can be thrown in with a huge list of other tasty ingredients.

In short, quinoa is my salad king.

How to make good quinoa

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

While the quinoa is cooking, test by scooping out a few grains every few minutes. When the quinoa has opened up a bit (you’ll see a little tail in the grain) and is tender, you should drain the quinoa to stop it from cooking.

Then put the quinoa back in the pot and cover. Remove from heat, let steam for 5 minutes and it’s perfect for salads!

If you want to make half a batch of this salad, the quinoa actually freezes really well. 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. Then you can simply defrost it in the microwave (low power) when needed.

Prepare the pesto for this quinoa salad

I make pesto all the time and I love playing around with the flavors. A bit more garlic or pine nuts can really change the flavor and make it totally different. If you make it, don’t stress the exact amounts. Just try it as you go and adjust.

Sometimes I substitute another nut or seed like sunflower seeds or pistachios for a really interesting pesto.

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

If you are in a hurry, you can also easily use pesto from the jar.

practice hoes

It’s okay that the quinoa takes a few minutes to cook since you’ll have a lot to cut up to finish the salad.

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

Try to dice all your ingredients so that they are roughly the same size. The onions should maybe be a little smaller.

If you’re not an experienced chopper, this will take a few minutes, but it’s worth it because it will get you meals for days.

combine everything

A pesto quinoa salad like this is very flexible. Start by adding your quinoa to the veggies you chopped, then add enough pesto to lightly coat the salad. You should need about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of pesto, but you can use more or less depending on your taste.

I’ve made many different variations of this salad over the years. I’ve added things like roasted beets or roasted nuts or seeds and even spicy elements like roasted green chilies.

So let it be said that pesto plus quinoa plus a bunch of random veggies makes for a really good lunch!

My pesto quinoa salad recipe

Here are a few other great recipes to try!