Lupin Free Pesto-Walnut Quinoa Salad with Mango

Total time45 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time15 min

4.9

(16)

Lupin Free Pesto-Walnut Quinoa Salad with Mango

Bright, herby, and packed with color, this quinoa salad is the kind of bowl that makes you genuinely excited about eating something wholesome. The homemade walnut pesto is blended right in a food processor — basil, raw walnuts, garlic, and lemon juice come together into a sauce that coats every grain of fluffy quinoa beautifully. A pinch of turmeric gives the whole base a warm golden hue before the fresh ingredients even hit the bowl. Then comes the good stuff: juicy diced mango, halved cherry tomatoes, peppery arugula, and thin slivers of red onion, all tossed with a little extra olive oil and lemon. Lupin flour and lupin-based ingredients have quietly crept into a surprising number of packaged pestos and grain salads, so making everything from scratch here means you know exactly what's in it. Torn fresh mint over the top is optional, but it adds a cool, fragrant finish that really pulls the tropical notes of the mango together. This one works just as well packed for lunch the next day as it does served straight from the bowl.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the quinoa

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
¼ tsp salt

For the pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
½ cup raw walnuts
1 clove garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

For the salad

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups baby arugula
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

For serving

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn (optional)

Instructions

1
Combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled, about 12–14 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
2
While the quinoa cools, make the pesto: combine the basil, raw walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil and process until the pesto is mostly smooth with a little texture remaining, scraping down the sides once.

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