This Avocado Pesto Quinoa Salad is the perfect, easy lunch! Packed with veggies and flavor, and it’s perfect for meal prepping!
I love making quinoa salads for lunch because they’re so easy to customize with whatever I have on hand, they’re so easy to make, and I can easily make them balanced and hearty!
This Avocado Pesto Quinoa Salad is so delicious and so easy to just throw together with whatever veggies you have on hand!
Main Ingredients in the Avocado Pesto Quinoa Salad:
Quinoa: This is going to be the base of our salad, but you can also use wild or brown rice, or farro!
Beans: I used white beans as my source of protein in this meal, but you could also use any other type of bean, or tofu or tempeh!
Avocado: This is going to be our source of fat and the base of our pesto! You could also use hummus if you don’t have any ripe avocado.
Basil: This is going to give the pesto that fresh pesto flavor! I used dried basil because I didn’t have fresh, but I feel like fresh would be better if you have it!
Veggies: Use whatever veggies you have on hand! I used red onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and corn!
How to Make Avocado Pesto Quinoa Salad:
Prepare: Chop your veggies, and saute your mushrooms on the stove. Make your quinoa in the veggie broth according to package instructions
Make Pesto: Make the pesto by blending together all the pesto ingredients
Combine: Combine the quinoa and veggies in a large bowl.
Enjoy: Take out your portion of the salad and top with the pesto!
Why is This Meal Balanced?
This meal has a great balance of nutrients to help keep you fueled for the second half of your day!
Protein: The beans and quinoa are giving you a large boost of protein!
Carbs: The quinoa here is going to help give you some quick and long lasting energy!
Fat: Satiating fats are coming from the avocado in the pesto!
Storage:
Store in the fridge for 3-5 days!
If you like this recipe, be sure to try out:
Protein Packed Mushroom and Wild Rice Bowl
Vegan Korean Inspired BBQ Bowl
Authentic Masala Tofu Scramble
Avocado Pesto Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 ripe medium avocado
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½-¾ cup water
Quinoa
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups veggie broth
Salad
- 1 can white beans
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup roasted corn
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes optional
Instructions
- Chop your veggies (except for the mushroom) and place in a large bowl.
- Sauté your mushrooms on the stove. Add to the bowl.
- Make your quinoa in the veggie broth according to package instructions
- Make the pesto by blending together all the pesto ingredients
- Add the quinoa to the large bowl of veggies and mix well.
- Take out your portion of the salad and top with the pesto!
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