Angela Liddon knows her way around a bountiful, healthful salad. Featured in her latest cookbook, this Glow-Up Pesto Dream Bowl includes a homemade basil pesto with funky nutritional yeast standing in for traditional Parmesan cheese. Farro is a nutritious ancient wholegrain, packed with fibre, protein and antioxidants. It’s got a lovely, chewy texture and takes the place of pasta. Rounded out with chopped fresh vegetables in a variety of shapes, colours and textures and you’ve got an Oh She Glows classic we’re here for.
Glow-Up Pesto Dream Bowl
This dish is exactly as it sounds: A simple pesto pasta gets a serious glow-up, featuring brighter flavours, more varied textures, a rainbow of colours and a pesto that delights with every bite. It features crisp bell peppers, sweet cherry tomatoes, juicy cucumber, chewy farro, peppery basil, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes, creamy beans, buttery pine nuts and more.
Ingredients
Ultra-Creamy Flavour Burst Basil Pesto
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 2¼ cups packed fresh basil leaves
- ¾ cup pine nuts
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4½-5 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½-¾ tsp fine sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1-3 tbsp water optional
Glow-Up Pesto Dream Bowl
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked pearled farro rinsed and drained
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1¾ cups cherry or grape tomatoes quartered
- 3 medium Persian (mini) cucumbers sliced
- 1 large bell pepper seeded and diced
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ⅔ cup packed fresh basil leaves finely chopped
- heaping ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 1½ cups cooked cannellini beans or chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 lemon wedges
- 1⅓ cups Ultra-Creamy Flavour Burst Basil Pesto
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions
Ultra-Creamy Flavour Burst Basil Pesto
- In large, heavy-duty food processor, process garlic and basil until coarsely chopped, about 10 seconds, stirring to scrape down side of bowl if necessary. Add pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt (starting with ½ tsp) and pepper to taste. Process for about 45 seconds, until pesto is very smooth but still has pretty flecks of basil, stopping to scrape down side of bowl as needed. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt, if desired. If you'd like a thinner pesto, add water, 1 tbsp at a time, and process again until combined.
Glow-Up Pesto Dream Bowl
- In medium pot, bring water (or broth) to a boil over high heat. (If using water, add ¼ tsp fine sea salt.)
- When water comes to a boil, add farro, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer, uncovered, until al dente, 30 to 31 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain, season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired, and let cool for a few minutes.
- To assemble: Gather 4 large bowls. To each add generous ½ cup cooked farro, heaping ⅓ cup cherry tomatoes, heaping ⅓ cup cucumber, ⅓ cup bell pepper, 2 tbsp green onion, 2 tbsp basil, 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, generous ⅓ cup beans, 1 lemon wedge, ⅓ cup pesto and 1 tbsp pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tips from the ELLE Gourmet editors
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can use red, orange or yellow bell pepper—don’t use green bell pepper. Liddon usually opts for red bell pepper as it’s the sweetest.
- If you’d like to assemble the salad in a single batch, in 1 large serving bowl, mix the cooked and drained farro with the prepared cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and beans. To 4 large bowls, portion about 2 cups of the farro mixture into each. Top each bowl with 1/3 cup of the pesto and 1 tbsp pine nuts, and season to taste with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Garnish each serving with a lemon wedge.
