It’s salad season guys, but that doesn’t mean we have to eat plain and flavorless lettuce. If you are looking for a satisfying, healthy and flavorful salad, stay with me!
Buckwheat groats with tender sweet potatoes, blueberries, kale, and a creamy pesto yogurt sauce. This is the salad you need!
While the sweet potatoes are roasting in the oven with a little bit of oil, salt, and rosemary, you cook the buckwheat.
I love the texture of buckwheat, slightly crunchy yet tender, the grains are about twice the size of quinoa. If you ever had barley, they have a very similar texture. Buckwheat is also packed with B vitamins and rich in fiber, plus it’s gluten-free. Win-win!
As with basically any salad, the star here is the dressing. It relies on pesto combined with vegan yogurt, tahini and a squeeze of lime juice. Yogurt adds creaminess and pesto gives this salad an amazing basil flavor that pairs very well with the nuttiness of the buckwheat.
For the add-ins, I went with massaged kale, blueberries, sunflower seeds and chopped almonds. Any greens will work: spinach, collards, swiss chard or even arugula.
This salad is super refreshing, healthy and packs 14g of protein per serving. You can serve it as is, or as a side with falafels or tofu skewers for example.
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Sweet Potato & Pesto Buckwheat Salad
Flavorful and healthy buckwheat salad with roasted sweet potato, kale, blueberries and sunflower seeds. Served with a creamy pesto yogurt sauce.
Yield: 4 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
Sweet Potato
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
- 1/8 tsp salt
Buckwheat Salad
- 2 and 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup raw buckwheat
- 2 cups greens (kale, baby spinach, etc), finely cut
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 2 tbsp chopped almonds, pecans or cashews
Pesto Dressing
- 1/3 cup vegan pesto
- 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Sweet Potato
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wash the potato and cut it into cubes, or matchsticks. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and start to brown. Set aside.
Buckwheat Salad
- In the meantime, add the water and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the buckwheat and let simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the buckwheat is cooked. Drain excess water if needed. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the buckwheat.
- Transfer to a large bowl and add the roasted sweet potato, kale (see notes), sunflower seeds, blueberries and chopped almonds. Add the dressing and mix until everything is coated with the sauce.
- Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. It will keep in the fridge for 5 days.
Pesto Dressing
- Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Notes
If using kale, thinly slice it. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Massage for 20-30 seconds, until it starts to soften and becomes darker. This step will make the kale more tender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 (with dressing)
- Calories: 379
- Sugar: 4.7g
- Fat: 17.5g
- Carbohydrates: 52.1g
- Fiber: 8.3g
- Protein: 14g
Just had this salad for dinner. Spinach instead of kale, one red paprika and two sweet potatoes we roasted in the air-fryer. For a family of 3 (incl. a 15 year old with a healthy appetite) we had a good filling meal. We all really like it… and wil make it more often these summer! Thanks.
★★★★
You’re welcome, glad to hear you liked this recipe Claudia 🙂