Artichoke, Olive & Pesto Salad
A no-cook, pesto-loaded salad built on artichoke hearts, olives, and cherry tomatoes. Make the pesto once, toss everything else together, and you've got a dish that holds up for days! Perfect for the fans of brine-y tastes.
Equipment
- Food processor (for the pesto)
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the vegan basil pesto (makes ~1 cup):
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts/almonds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 2 14 oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 6 oz can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/2 cucumber chopped
- 1/4 red onion diced
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
Make the pesto:
- Add the basil, nutritional yeast, pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you hit the consistency you want. Season with salt and pepper.
Build the salad:
- Add the artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumber, and red onion to a large bowl.
- Pour in the pesto and toss until everything's coated.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Notes
Substitutions: swap the pine nuts for walnuts or almonds in the pesto. Swap cucumber for zucchini ribbons in the salad if that's what's around!
Optional add-ins: white beans or chickpeas if you want more protein in the mix.
Storage: pesto keeps up to 5 days refrigerated (top with a thin layer of olive oil), or freeze for up to 3 months. The assembled salad is best immediately.
Optional add-ins: white beans or chickpeas if you want more protein in the mix.
Storage: pesto keeps up to 5 days refrigerated (top with a thin layer of olive oil), or freeze for up to 3 months. The assembled salad is best immediately.