Vegan Pesto Salad with Broccoli, Sweet Potato & Chickpea
This vegan pesto salad with broccoli, sweet potato and chickpeas can be eaten cold or warm. It’s a great dish to enjoy all year round and you can easily adapt it by using different seasonal vegetables.
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There’s something so satisfying about a big bowl of colourful food and this vegan salad ticks all the right boxes. The roasted chickpeas and raw broccoli add a delicious crunch, whilst the sweet potato is warm and satisfying. Drizzle the creamy pesto sauce on top and you have the perfect lunch or dinner!
Is pesto vegan?
Traditionally, pesto is made with pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice and parmesan cheese – the latter of which is not vegan. However, vegan pesto is now widely available. Brands like Sacla offer vegan green and red pestos in the free from aisles of major supermarkets, or check out supermarket own-brands.
Shop bought vegan pesto sometimes uses tofu or potato to replace the cheese, but you can easily make your own vegan pesto at home using nutritional yeast.
What is nutritional yeast?
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated form of yeast that adds a cheesy, nutty flavour to things like pasta sauces, scrambled tofu and cashew cheese. It comes in the form of pale yellow flakes and is often fortified with vitamins such as B12 and vitamin D. It’s also a great source of protein as it contains all nine amino acids.
What other vegetables go well with this dish?
Don’t have sweet potato? No worries! Try using roast butternut squash instead. You could also use butter beans instead of chickpeas and cauliflower instead of broccoli. Beetroot is also a delicious, sweet and earthy vegetable that will add an extra burst of colour and flavour to your pesto salad.
Why not toast some sunflower and pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top to add extra nutrition and a lovely crunch?
Total Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Calories: 418
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 45 minutes
Calories: 418
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the salad
- 1 1 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into disks
- 0.25 0.25 tin of chickpeas, drained
- 0.25 0.25 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp olive oil
- 0.25 0.25 tsp garlic powder
- 0.25 0.25 tsp smoked paprika
- 25 25 g cherry tomatoes
- 0.25 0.25 red pepper, julienned
- a handful of parsley, chopped
- For the pesto sauce
- 30 30 ml dairy-free yoghurt
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp dairy-free pesto, green or red
- 0.25 0.25 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and line a large baking tray with foil. Drizzle the sweet potato slices with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp garlic powder and place on the baking tray.
- Toss the chickpeas in 1 tbsp olive oil and the smoked paprika and place on the same foil-baking tray as the sweet potato.
- Roast together for about 20-25 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine.
- Once sweet potatoes are fork-tender and the chickpeas are golden brown, remove them from the oven and start to build your salad.
- In a serving dish, lay the sweet potato, chickpeas, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, parsley and peppers then drizzle over the pesto sauce and serve.
- Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Each 484g serving provides: 13g Fat, 1.8g Saturates, 63g Carbohydrate, 15g Sugars, 16g Protein, 1.3g Salt.
Ready for another serving? Try making one of these filling vegan lunch recipes!
