In only ten minutes you can have a fresh pesto salad full of flavor. This recipe from Laura Ashley Johnson is so quick and easy you’ll think it’s magic!
You’re rushed after a long day at work, the kids are hungry, and there’s only ten minutes left on the timer before dinner is ready. There’s only one problem: you still haven’t made the salad!
Close your eyes, spin around three times, clap your hands, and presto: a bright, colorful salad full of fresh veggies appears before you in all its glory.
Okay – maybe it’s not quite that simple, but this Sangria Pesto Salad is pretty magical! Not only is it full of delicious fresh greenhouse vegetables your whole family will love, but it only takes ten minutes to make. If that’s not kitchen magic, what is?
Any quick and easy recipe relies on a few key ingredients to bring all the flavor. That’s especially the case with salads, and this fresh pesto salad is no different. Laura Ashley’s recipe uses Sangria® Medley Tomatoes and Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers to give you that crisp, refreshing flavor you crave in a great salad.
Each of these fresh ingredients contributes something unique to this delicious dish. Sangria® Medley Tomatoes brighten up the salad with pops of red, orange, and yellow, while lending sweet, tangy, juicy flavor. Uno Bites™, meanwhile, offer a crisp crunch of hydration that complements the creamy avocado and aromatic pesto.
What pulls all these fresh flavors together is Laura Ashley’s pesto dressing recipe. To make her pesto dressing, you can start with your own fresh pesto or a pre-made pesto available at the supermarket. Mix about a quarter cup of pesto with one tablespoon of white wine vinegar, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper. You can even make this a day or two in advance, or keep this simple dressing in the fridge to add to other salads throughout the week.
To prepare the salad, simply combine your chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with a diced avocado, sliced red onion, and toasted pine nuts. The pine nuts will bring out the earthy, nutty flavor of the pesto.
That’s it – magical, right?
This Sangria Pesto Salad is a great side salad to include with almost every family dinner. It goes great with proteins like grilled chicken breast and roast beef, but also with traditional Mediterranean fare like spaghetti and meatballs or gyros.
If you love this salad as much as we do, you could make a meal out of it by adding your favorite protein – chicken, falafel, tofu, steak, or shrimp – and a grain like quinoa.
If you have kids over five years old, you could work some more magic and get your kids in the kitchen to make this for you – that’s how simple it is! You might notice, however, that your kids start munching on a few of the tastiest ingredients while they’re putting it together. Always keep an extra pack of Sangria® Medley Tomatoes and Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers for your family to snack on while cooking!
For Laura Ashley’s full Sangria Pesto Salad, click here.
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