BHA & BHT Free Roasted Beet and Walnut Salad with Buckwheat and Basil Pesto

Total time1 hr 15 min

Prep time20 min

Cook time45 min

4.5

(14)

BHA & BHT Free Roasted Beet and Walnut Salad with Buckwheat and Basil Pesto

Earthy roasted beets, nutty buckwheat, and peppery arugula come together in a salad that feels genuinely special — the kind of thing you'd order at a restaurant and then immediately want to recreate at home. The star of the whole dish is a from-scratch basil and walnut pesto blended with fresh lemon juice and good olive oil, which coats every grain and vegetable in something bright and herbaceous. Avoiding synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT can be trickier than it sounds, since they hide in packaged dressings, bottled pestos, and even some pre-roasted nuts — but this recipe keeps everything clean by building flavor entirely from whole, unprocessed ingredients. Roasting the beets low and slow in a foil packet draws out their natural sweetness without any additives, and cooking raw buckwheat groats from scratch means you're in full control of what goes into the bowl. Walnuts pull double duty here, lending richness to the pesto and a satisfying crunch as a topping. The result is a hearty, colorful salad that eats more like a complete meal than a side dish, and it comes together with nothing but real food and a little patience.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the roasted beets

1 lb medium beets (about 3–4), scrubbed and trimmed
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt

For the buckwheat

¾ cup raw buckwheat groats
1 ½ cups water
¼ tsp salt

For the pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
½ cup dry-roasted walnuts, divided
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad

5 oz baby arugula
¼ cup dry-roasted walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Place the beets on a sheet of foil on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Wrap the foil loosely around the beets to form a packet and roast until a paring knife slides through the center of the largest beet with no resistance, 40–50 minutes depending on size.
2
While the beets roast, combine the buckwheat groats, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until the groats are tender and the water is absorbed, about 12–15 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, and fluff with a fork. Spread onto the baking sheet (or a plate) to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

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