Description
A healthy heat wave meal, this Farro Pesto White Bean Salad will have you feeling sweet Mediterranean seaside vibes thanks to a bright vegan pesto made with hemp and sun-dried tomatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
For the salad:
- 1 cup farro, rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups cooked white beans (i.e. cannellini)
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped in half lengthwise
- 1 medium tomato, diced
For the Sun-Dried Tomato, Parsley, and Hemp Pesto:
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4–1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 very firmly packed cups fresh parsley, stems included
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Instructions
- To cook the farro, place 3 cups of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add the farro and turn down heat to low. Cover the pot with the lid and cook as you would rice, until the farro is chewy and the water has been absorbed. (If the farro is cooked but water remains, simply drain the remaining water and set the farro aside to cool).
- Place the cooked farro in a large bowl and allow it to cool fully. Once cool, add the white beans, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, and tomato to the bowl.
- To make the pesto, place all pesto ingredients except water in a food processor fitted with the 'S' blade. Start blending, then gradually add the water in a steady stream through the upper tube. Continue blending until completely smooth, tasting for salt, tanginess, and body, and adding additional sea salt, lemon juice, olive oil, or nutritional yeast to suit your taste.
- To assemble the salad, spoon about 2/3 of the pesto over the farro, bean, and vegetable mixture. Toss to coat, then add more pesto as desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegan