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Quinoa salad with pancetta, broad beans and peas
Serves: 6 as a side
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Issy Croker
Quinoa salad with pancetta, broad beans and peas
This tasty salad pairs nutty broad beans with sweet peas and salty flecks of pancetta. Serve warm, or it’’s delicious cold, packed up for lunch the next day. Track down fresh broad beans and peas if you can, or use frozen and defrost in hot water
Serves: 6 as a side
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time:
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
283Kcal
Fat
14.7gr
Saturates
4gr
Carbs
23gr
Sugars
2.7gr
Fibre
6.7gr
Protein
13gr
Salt
1.1gr
Melissa Hemsley
Melissa is one half of Hemsley + Hemsley - the business she set up with her sister Jasmine, which pioneered healthier modern cooking. She has written four books, has a newspaper column and has grown a large following on social media
See more of Melissa Hemsley’s recipes
Melissa Hemsley
Melissa is one half of Hemsley + Hemsley - the business she set up with her sister Jasmine, which pioneered healthier modern cooking. She has written four books, has a newspaper column and has grown a large following on social media
See more of Melissa Hemsley’s recipes
Ingredients
- 200g dried quinoa, rinsed well
- 1 x 160g pack smoked cubetti di pancetta or bacon
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 1⁄2 tbsp thyme or oregano leaves, roughly chopped, or 1⁄2 tsp dried herbs
- 200g fresh podded or frozen broad beans (400g if still in pod), popped out of their inner skins
- 1 x 160g pack fresh peas
- 1 ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- juice and zest of 1⁄2 unwaxed lemon
- a handful of flat-leaf parsley
- a handful of mint leaves
Step by step
Get ahead
The salad can be made the day before. Return to room temperature to serve.
- Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 350ml water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is just cooked and has absorbed the liquid. Leave to stand for a few minutes then fluff with a fork.
- Meanwhile in a large frying pan, fry the pancetta for 5-6 minutes until crispy (no need for any fat), tossing halfway through, then add the garlic and thyme or oregano and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broad beans to the pancetta pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then tip in the peas and cook for 1-2 minutes until just tender. Tip the quinoa into the pan and toss everything together, allowing the quinoa to pick up all the pan juices, and season to taste.
- Spoon the quinoa onto a large serving dish, drizzle over the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice and scatter with the zest, parsley and mint to serve.