A bed of warm quinoa and fresh spinach get tossed in a spinach, basil, miso, walnut pesto dressing. It gets topped with roasted broccoli, crunchy fennel and roasted red peppers (or any variety of veggies), chickpeas (or chicken!), and smothered in more pesto dressing. Finish it off with toasty crunchy nuts and salty parmesan cheese. Mmmm…
Ingredient highlight
Quinoa! Though we think of this as a grain, it’s actually a seed to a plant! That’s why it’s such a great source of plant-based protein since it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It’s also rich in magnesium, calcium, vitamin E, and fiber.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa (about 2 ½ cups cooked)*
- 1 head broccoli cut into small florets (about 3 cups)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 fennel bulb cored, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 (12 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers drained, chopped
- 2 cups loosely packed spinach
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed**
- ½ cup toasted walnuts or almonds
- ½ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
For the pesto dressing:
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup spinach
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts (or almonds or cashews)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 2 tsp grated ginger (optional)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- *Sub 8 oz penne or fusilli to turn it into a pasta salad
- **Use any canned bean or other protein (grilled chicken, steak, etc…)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F convection or 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Add broccoli to the baking sheet and toss with oil and salt. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly charred.
- In a medium pot, add the quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until cooked through and water has evaporated. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool off a bit.
- Warm the chickpeas up in the microwave (warming up canned beans lets them absorb flavor a lot better).
- Add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If too thick, thin out with additional water.
- Toss warm quinoa with spinach and about 2 tablespoons of the pesto dressing. Top with roasted broccoli, fennel, bell peppers and chickpeas. Drizzle remaining dressing over top. Top with plenty of nuts and parmesan (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Toast ¾ cup walnuts or almonds
- Cook quinoa
- Prep veggies (broccoli, fennel, bell pepper)
- Roast broccoli
- Make pesto dressing
Substitutions:
- To make vegan: skip the parmesan and just add extra nuts and a final sprinkling of salt.
- Turn it into a pasta salad! Substitute about 8 oz penne or fusilli for the quinoa.
- Use any veggies you have on hand. If you don’t want to roast, just use fresh veggies.
- Make the pesto your own by using any combo of herbs and nuts.
- Use ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese instead of miso paste
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Quinoa/spinach mixture: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Raw veggies: store in cold water in the fridge for up to 1 week
- Cooked veggies: up to 4 days in the fridge
- Pesto dressing: up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the quinoa/spinach mixture just a bit. Warm up any cooked veggies you’re putting on top. Top with all of the veggies, plenty of sauce, crunchy nuts, and parm.
- Finish with a fresh squeeze of lemon and herbs if you have them.
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