Kale Quinoa Salad with Pesto
Total Time
35 mins
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(3)
Ingredients
2 servings
- ½ cup cooked chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed (save the stems, we'll use them in a recipe coming up)
- about 2 cups of Mean Green Grain Bowl leftovers
- generous scoops of Creamy Kale Pepita Pesto
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the chickpeas with olive oil and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and lightly crisp. Season with salt and pepper as they come out of the oven.
Step 2
Tear the kale leaves into bite-sized pieces. Add a scoop of the pesto sauce and use your hands to massage the kale leaves until they're soft and wilted. The oils from the sauce will help break down the coarse leaves.
Step 3
Mix the grain bowl leftovers into the kale salad, along with a few more scoops of the pesto sauce. Add the chickpeas and serve with more sauce, as desired.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
Both of these meals (yesterday’s and today’s) are super flexible – swap in any roasted vegetables that you like or feel free to change up the protein if you’re not feeling like chickpeas.
If you don’t have leftovers from Day 1 on hand, toss in some cooked quinoa or farro and your favorite roasted vegetables (you can cook them while you roast the chickpeas!). In addition to the vegetables pictured above, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and broccoli would all be great.
Use pickled red onion instead of the sauerkraut.
Swap the chickpeas for baked tofu, French green lentils, or white beans.
Add some feta cheese or goat cheese if you’re not vegan.
Or use cilantro lime dressing or traditional pesto in place of the kale pepita pesto sauce.
