I spent a lot of Easter out at my parents place, and we needed a salad to take to an Easter lunch. Mum and I always like making something new, and this artichoke spelt salad was an excellent option. Delicious but easy to make – what more could we want!
We slightly tweaked a recipe from Neighbourhood
Ingredients List
- 400g spelt grains
- 2tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1tbs fresh rosemary
- 2tsp fresh oregano
- 600g marinated artichoke hearts
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- 2 cans cannellini beans
- 2 cups rocket and spinach
- 1/4 cup pinenuts
- 300g buffalo mozzarella
- Red chilli
- Lemon
- Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the spelt grains and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and allow to cool
- Heat the oil in a large pan and add minced garlic and the herbs. Cook for 30 seconds
- Add the artichoke hearts (reserving the oil) and stir to combine, then cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and drain and rinse the cannellini beans
- In a large serving dish combine the spelt, rocket, spinach, tomatoes and beans
- Top with the artichoke mixture
- Toast the pine nuts and sprinkle over the dish along with the torn mozzarella
- Thinly slice the red chilli and add to the salad with the juice and zest of the lemon
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and season with salt a pepper. Drizzle over some of the reserved oil from the artichokes to serve
I know that looks like a lot of steps and ingredients but I promise that this artichoke spelt salad is deceptively simple. It’s also seriously tasty! You can cook the spelt ahead of time as well, which makes this an even quicker dish to whip up.
It’s a great option as part of a spread like we did for Easter, but it’s equally excellent as a hearty lunch option. You’ll definitely be a happy camper if you pack this to take to work! It keeps well for a couple of days – just keep aside your greens and pine nuts if you know you won’t be eating it all at once to ensure optimum crunch and freshness.