Seed Oil Free Roasted Beet and Walnut Salad with Buckwheat and Basil Pesto
Earthy roasted beets, nutty buckwheat groats, and peppery baby arugula come together in a salad that feels genuinely satisfying rather than virtuous-but-boring. The walnut-basil pesto is the real star — blended with fresh lemon juice and good olive oil, it's bright, herby, and rich all at once, clinging to every grain and beet wedge in the best possible way. Every fat source here is intentional: extra-virgin olive oil and dry-roasted walnuts do all the heavy lifting, with zero refined or industrial seed oils anywhere in the recipe. That matters more than it might seem, because store-bought dressings and even many restaurant salads quietly rely on canola, soybean, or sunflower oil as their base. Here you control exactly what goes in, and the result is a cleaner, more flavorful bowl because of it. The foil-packet roasting method coaxes out the beets' natural sweetness while keeping prep hands-off, and the buckwheat adds a hearty, slightly toasty chew that makes this feel like a full meal rather than a side. Finish with a scatter of chopped walnuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and you've got something that looks as good as it tastes.
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Learn more →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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