Love pesto? Try this creamy pesto quinoa recipe which is bursting with flavour. It is fragrant from garlic & basil, sweet/ salty from slithers of sun-dried tomato, salty from olives & deliciously savoury from nutritional yeast. (Non-vegans can substitute with parmesan if they wish).
By using quinoa as the base instead of rice, this dish is gluten-free. Quinoa & spinach are also great sources of plant-based protein.
This recipe is also quick to make & I love making excess so I can take leftovers for packed lunch.
Serves 3-4
Preparation time: 10-15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Ingredients:
For the pesto sauce:
120g sun-dried tomatoes (no need to slice)
50g fresh basil
25g raw cashews
25g pumpkin seeds
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 plump cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast (for vegans) or finely grated parmesan
Optional: 1 tsp spirulina powder
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt
The rest:
40g sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into slithers
200g cooked quinoa
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
20 black olives, halved
80g baby spinach
pepper, to taste
Garnish: basil tofu slices, chunks of feta cheese or vegan cheese, basil leaves. Optional: Sprinkle of ground flaxseed, extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Method:
Make the pesto. Place the pesto ingredients in a blender of food processor & blitz to form a smooth green paste.
In a large bowl, mix together the pesto with the cooked quinoa & slithers of sun-dried tomatoes, halved olives & cherry tomatoes. Season to taste.
You can gently fold in all the baby spinach leaves or save some as a base…
No bed of spinach
Bed of spinach
Top with feta/ vegan cheese or basil tofu.
Drizzle over with some extra-virgin olive oil. Add a sprinkle of ground flaxseed if desired to add to the nutritional value.
Feta cheese or vegan cheese topping
Basil tofu topping
Don’t forget you can find my favourite recipes in my FREE eBook here.
