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​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad

September 6, 2021
by
The easy, nutrient-packed, and oh-so flavorful bulgur salad loaded with parmesan, arugula, and walnuts: this Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is one of my go-to recipes!!
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The easy, nutrient-packed, and oh-so flavorful bulgur salad loaded with parmesan, arugula, and walnuts: this Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is one of my go-to recipes!!

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Grains make for the best side. Still, while I often serve up my recipes “bowl style” with a plain (or lightly seasoned) grain as a base, I honestly don’t love plain grains. Really, they’re more of a textural thing to me. Couscous is a bit softer, brown rice is a bit harder, and farro, bulgar, and barley are much more tough. Besides that, though, grains can be pretty plain… that is, grains can be pretty plain if not dressed up properly.

So, in an attempt to utilize healthy, filling grains more exciting, I whipped up this  Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad. And, let me tell you, it blows pretty much any other grain out of the water. With fresh flavors from arugula and basil, crunchy toasty bites from walnuts, a creamy bitterness from the parmesan, and a smooth herbaceous pesto to finish things off: this bulgur truly hits all the right notes. You’ll never want to eat plain grains again!!

the breakdown…

This Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is seriously so simple. Like, in all honesty, it may be one of my simplest recipes. This dish can be broken down into two parts, and, consequently, only has two steps!! You’ve got the basil walnut pesto and you’ve got the bulgar salad/assembling step. This seriously could not be easier.

To make that basil walnut pesto, you’ve simply got to throw all of your good parts of a classic pesto into a food processor or blender. I’m talking fresh basil for your greens, olive oil for smooth flavor, some water for thinning, and toasted walnuts as your crunchy and toasty nuts. Then, in the name of more flavor, go in with some lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Boom. You’ve got yourself a delicious pesto in a matter of seconds. 

The easy, nutrient-packed, and oh-so flavorful bulgur salad loaded with parmesan, arugula, and walnuts: this Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is one of my go-to recipes!!

all about those sun dried tomatoes!!

Oh, and, if you’re like me and you love sun dried tomatoes, definitely use the olive oil from the sun dried tomato jar. You may not be able to get the full ⅓ cup out of it, depending on the size of your jar, but try and get as much as you can. The intense sweet-tart flavor from the sun dried tomatoes seeps into the oil and creates a flavorful masterpiece. While you’re not going crazy and making a sun dried tomato pesto (with blended up sun dried tomatoes), you still get all their good flavors into the mix.

All this said, you might be thinking, “why don’t I just blend up my sun dried tomatoes and make a full sun dried tomato pesto?”. Well, to that I say that I honestly love the texture of the chewy tomatoes in this ​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad; and, when you blend them all up, you miss out on that good bite. Salads are all about textures, people… so don’t skip out on that chew!!

After whipping up your pesto, all you have to do is assemble the salad. Told you it was easy, didn’t I? Go ahead with a good amount of bulgar as your base. I love bulgar, and personally think it’s very underrated. If you aren’t familiar with the grain, it’s a bit of a cross between farro and barley. Farro is a bit softer though, whereas barley is inherently very tough. I love the texture of bulgar, which is right in the middle. Still, many people connote the grain with bland old people’s food, which is honestly quite unfair. When prepared well, bulgur is chewy, nutty, and sturdy, making for the perfect durable grain to hold up in a salad. 

the bulk of it…

Speaking of the rest of the salad, sun dried tomatoes are next up on the queue. As noted before, this tangy flavor and finely diced chew pairs wonderfully with the pesto, especially if you use their oil in the mix. Then, with some fresh, bitter notes from some baby arugula, everything is rounded out and lightened up. You always need some earthiness in a salad, so whether you use the arugula, a flat leaf kale, or any other leafy variety, don’t skip out on the greens! Plus, with the addition of more basil, the flavors are immaculate. Even though we’ve got the basil in the pesto, more herbs are always a good idea… especially when they bring in some more fresh textures into the mix.

Lastly, to combat all that freshness, toss in some parmesan cheese and toasted walnuts. The walnuts are the perfect crunchy texture, and the parmesan truly has the best creamy bite. Really, these don’t need much explaining. They’re plain delicious.

\The easy, nutrient-packed, and oh-so flavorful bulgur salad loaded with parmesan, arugula, and walnuts: this Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is one of my go-to recipes!!

how to serve it up!!

I could probably dissect the wonders of this salad all day long, but nobody needs that. Honestly, all you need to know is that this ​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Barley Salad is absolute perfection. I love to serve it up with a more neutral protein, sometimes with a dip or some simple dressed greens on the side. You could also go full vegetarian and serve this up with just some simply dressed greens, some grilled vegetables (zucchini and squash would be delicious), or some roasted tofu (my current obsession).

Either way, this dish is a wonderful addition to any weeknight family dinner, meal prep, or simple lunch. It lasts incredibly well in the fridge for a few days, so don’t worry about leftovers! All that said, this ​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Barley Salad is also a great addition to any fancier party spread. Serve it up with some boujee mains (lobster maybe? Grilled steaks? My Walnut Olive Slow Roasted Halibut? or even my Lemon Panko Crusted Grouper?)Really, anything would be delicious with this one. It’s the best!!

I hope you love this ​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:)

​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad
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​​Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, Side Dish, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Total time

10

minutes

The easy, nutrient-packed, and oh-so flavorful bulgur salad loaded with parmesan, arugula, and walnuts: this Basil Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Bulgur Salad is one of my go-to recipes!!

Ingredients

  • basil walnut pesto:

  • 2 cups fresh basil

  • ⅓ cup olive oil from the sun dried tomato jar (or regular olive oil)

  • ¼ cup water

  • ½ cup walnuts or pecans, toasted*

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • barley salad:

  • 1 ½ cups dried barley, prepared according to package

  • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • 2 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped

  • ½ cup fresh basil, finely diced

  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

  • ¼ cup walnuts or pecans, toasted

Instructions

  • In a food processor or blender, blend the basil, sun dried tomato olive oil, water, walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper until smooth.
  • In a large bowl, toss the barley, sun dried tomatoes, arugula, basil, parmesan, and walnuts. Fold in your desired amount of pesto and serve at any temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Instead of walnuts or pecans, you could easily use pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, or any other nut/seed. Likewise, you could substitute the fresh basil for equal parts arugula. 
  • Instead of bulgur, you could use equal parts orzo, farro, wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, or barley.
  • This recipe makes a good amount of pesto. So, if you would like, you could only use about ¾ of it. 
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