The best pesto salad recipe

Salads don’t always have to be boring. Enjoy a light, low calorie salad without compromising on taste! The best pesto salad starts with a crunchy vegetable base with crispy, tender meat free pieces and topped with a delicious, creamy pesto dressing! This super easy recipe comes together in under 15 minutes!

The best pesto salad

This pesto salad is absolutely delicious and perfect as a quick lunch on a warm sunny day. It is refreshing, light but filling and full of nutrients! You only need a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes to have this delicious recipe ready.

Salads have long been a popular lunch food for those dieting and those that aren’t alike. I’ve never been a fan of salads myself. I began experimenting with salads a few months into my weight loss journey and decided to create my own salads with lots of flavors!

The best salads contain lots of leafy greens, a protein source and a delicious low calorie dressing. Leafy greens contain many vital nutrients and what better way to eat them than in a salad.

Salads alone can taste quite bland and unappealing – at least to me. I always look for ways to add to salads whilst still keeping them healthy. My favorite salad for a long time was my prawn salad, that was until I made this recipe!

This recipe is vegan, gluten free and dairy free! No one has to miss out on this incredible dish.

Recipe details

The ingredients in this recipe are kept very simple. It is a fun little twist on regular salads. It has the crunch of the vegetables and the tenderness of the meat free chunks topped with a tangy pesto dressing.

Effort – This recipe is really easy to make and requires very little effort. It’s just a case of throwing some salad in a bowl, cooking the meat free chunks for a few minutes, then drizzling with the dressing!

Taste – This salad has all the crunch that we love in a salad with some tender, meat-free chunks and a delicious pesto dressing.

Calories – This salad only contains 290 calories! I love to enjoy this salad as a light lunch or even as a side dish!

Ingredients

There are very minimal ingredients required to make this salad. That’s why it’s such a perfect, easy lunch that can be thrown together.

• Salad – I used a pre-made salad mix for this recipe. I find it much easier to use a pre-made mix as opposed to making my own salads. The ingredients often go out of date before I get to use them all up! Pre-made mixes often include 2 or 3 servings which makes finishing them before their due date a lot easier.
• Meat free chunks – Meat free chunks are a great way to get some protein plus, they’re vegan! They’re low in calories and taste delicious when cooked in the honey sauce.
• Cooking sauce – The cooking sauce in this recipe is to give the meat free chunks a delicious coating. It is a mix of honey, soy sauce, water and seasonings to taste.
• Pesto dressing – The pesto dressing is made using red pesto, ultra light mayo and a little water to thin out.

How to make the best pesto salad

1. Prepare the meat free chunks– Mix the honey, soy sauce, seasonings and water and toss the meat free chunks in the sauce. Cook the chunks on a frying pan on medium heat, mixing periodically. Once the sauce has thickened and the water has evaporated, remove from the heat and give it a good stir to ensure all of the chunks are nicely coated.
2. Make the dressing – Make the dressing by mixing the ultra light mayo and red pesto together. Add water bit by bit until desired consistency is reached.
3. Assemble the salad – Measure out the salad mix and add to a bowl. Add the meat free chunks and top with the dressing. Add any toppings you would like and enjoy.

It’s really that simple!