The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.
As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.
Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.
Italian-style Steak Salad with Quinoa, Caramelised Onion & Rocket Pesto
Step into summer with this vibrant salad. Tender British Denver steak is the star of the show - you’ll sizzle it till perfection. Then build a refreshing salad with peppery rocket, chunky avocado, tangy olives and juicy tomatoes. Stir sweet caramelised onions through fluffy quinoa. A creamy pesto dressing brings it all together. Italian sunshine on a plate.
High protein
1/3 daily fibre
11 plants
Low sat fat
Serving size
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp thickened aged balsamic vinegar (Sulphites) (wine vinegar, concentrated grape must (SULPHITES), xanthan gum E441)
- 10g sunflower seeds
- 80g mixed salad leaves
- 1 unwaxed lemon
- 2 tbsp green pesto (Rapeseed Oil, Broccoli, Spinach, Broad Beans, Basil, Sunflower Seed, Garlic, Salt, Yeast extract powder (Yeast Extract, Salt), Pumpkin Seeds, Porcini Mushrooms, Kale, Golden Linseeds, Citric Acid, White Quinoa, Ascorbic Acid.)
- 20g rocket
- 500g puy lentils & wholegrain quinoa (48% Cooked Whole Grain Quinoa (Water, Quinoa) 48% Cooked Puy Lentils (Water, Puy lentils) Onion Olive Oil Laurel Salt)
- 2 onion
- 30g Pitted Kalamata Olives (Kalamata Olives, Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Lactic Acid (E270))
- 200g baby tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 4 Denver steaks
Nutritional Information
Calories: 618
Protein: 48g
Carbs: 35g
Fat: 31g
Italian-style Steak Salad with Quinoa, Caramelised Onion & Rocket Pesto
Step into summer with this vibrant salad. Tender British Denver steak is the star of the show - you’ll sizzle it till perfection. Then build a refreshing salad with peppery rocket, chunky avocado, tangy olives and juicy tomatoes. Stir sweet caramelised onions through fluffy quinoa. A creamy pesto dressing brings it all together. Italian sunshine on a plate.
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Cooking Instructions
Before you start
- Pull out a large frying pan, a large bowl & a small bowl
Do the prep
- Remove the steaks from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. Season both sides with salt and pepper
- Dice the avocado into 2cm chunks. Halve the tomatoes and olives. Thinly slice the onions
Get sizzlin'
- Heat the large frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on high heat. Once hot, add the steaks and cook (as a guide: cook for 2-3 mins on each side for medium, or 3-4 mins for medium-well)
- Quickly sear the edges of the steaks, then remove from the pan. Leave to rest
Heat the grains
- Reheat the large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 5 mins, until beginning to caramelise
- Add the quinoa lentil and break it up with a spoon. Add a splash of water and cook for 2-3 mins, until piping hot
Make the pesto dressing & build the salad
- Meanwhile, finely chop the rocket
- In the small bowl, combine the pesto, chopped rocket, juice from the lemon and 1 tsp oil
- In the large bowl, combine the salad leaves, avocado, tomatoes, olives, quinoa mix and half the sunflower seeds with half the pesto dressing. Season with salt and pepper
Plate up
- Slice the steaks against the grain
- Serve the salad into bowls, top with steaks and garnish with the remaining sunflower seeds and pesto dressing. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar to finish
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