Wheat Berry Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Description
Wheat berry salad with warmly spiced roasted pumpkin, beetroot, onions, and apples, and topped with a creamy tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- 200 grams (1 cup) wheat berries see notes
- ½ small pumpkin or winter squash, ~500 grams weighed with seeds
- 1 large beetroot ~400 grams
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium apples or 1 large apple
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin seed use ¼ teaspoon for ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes optional, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 250 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked or canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
Tahini Dressing
- 50 grams (¼ cup) tahini runny is best
- 1 small clove garlic minced or finely grated
- 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup to taste
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the wheat berries in plenty of salted water until tender, the same way you would cook pasta. The time needed will depend on the type of grain used, but is usually about 30 minutes.200 grams (1 cup) wheat berries
- While the wheat berries are cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and prepare a large baking sheet. Optionally line with parchment paper for easy release.
- Peel the pumpkin if necessary and cut into roughly 3cm (1 in.) large pieces. Peel any very thick skin from the beetroot and also cut into 3cm (1 in.) large pieces. Halve and slice the onion. Core and slice the apples.½ small pumpkin, 1 large beetroot, 1 large onion, 2 medium apples
- Place the vegetables on to the baking sheet and add the oil, salt, cumin, paprika, hot pepper, and cinnamon. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until just soft.1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon cumin seed, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the tahini dressing. Add the tahini, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to mix until well combined. Thin with water if needed.50 grams (¼ cup) tahini, 1 small clove garlic , 2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Drain the wheat berries very well and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and chickpeas, and mix to combine.250 grams (1 ½ cups) cooked or canned chickpeas
- Top with the tahini dressing or your preferred vinaigrette and serve warm.
Notes
Cooking wheat berries: the cooking time needed for the wheat berries will depend on the type of grain. Khorasan takes longer to cook than spelt, for example. Sometimes the package will tell you but generally you'll simply have to simmer until tender.
In my experience soaking for a couple of hours is a good idea, and can reduce the cooking time to as little as 20 minutes. Spelt berries often only need 30 minutes even without soaking.
The amount of chickpeas is equivalent to a standard 400 gram (14 oz.) can, drained and rinsed.
Storage: refrigerate the cooked wheat berries and roasted vegetables together for up to three days. Reheat when needed and add the dressing immediately before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 584kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 1215mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 14737IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.