Italian-style Steak Salad with Quinoa, Avocado & Rocket Pesto

Serving size

1 person 2 people 4 people

Ingredients

190g Tomatoes Baby Seasonal Mix
4 Denver steaks
1 avocado
30g Pitted Kalamata Olives

(Kalamata Olives, Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Lactic Acid (E270))
2 onion
500g puy lentils & wholegrain quinoa

(48% Cooked Whole Grain Quinoa (Water, Quinoa) 48% Cooked Puy Lentils (Water, Puy lentils) Onion Olive Oil Laurel Salt)
20g rocket
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.)
1 unwaxed lemon
80g mixed salad leaves
10g sunflower seeds
2 tbsp thickened aged balsamic vinegar (Sulphites)

(wine vinegar, concentrated grape must (SULPHITES), xanthan gum E441)

Allergens

Contains: Sulphites

Nutritional Information

Typical values	per 100g	per portion
Energy	125Kcal	634Kcal
	522kJ	2652kJ
Fat	6.4g	33g
of which saturates	1.4g	7.2g
Carbohydrates	7g	35g
of which sugars	1.7g	8.5g
Protein	9.4g	48g
Salt	0.2g	0.99g
Fibre	2.1g	11g

Back

Ready in 20 High protein 1/3 daily fibre 11 plants Low sat fat

Italian-style Steak Salad with Quinoa, Avocado & Rocket Pesto

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Cuisine: Italian

Food group: Beef

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.

Cooking Instructions

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.

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. Finely chop the rocket
In the small bowl, mix together the pesto, rocket, juice from the lemon and 1 tsp olive oil

Get sizzlin'

Heat the large frying pan with 1/2 tbsp olive 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 frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 5-6 mins, until softened. Season with salt. Add half the balsamic vinegar and cook for another 1 min
Add the lentil quinoa mix and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add a splash of water and cook for 2-3 mins, until piping hot

Toss the salad & plate up

To the large bowl, add the salad leaves, avocado, tomatoes, olives, quinoa mix and sunflower seeds with half the pesto dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine
Slice the steaks against the grain
Share the salad between bowls, topped with the steak. Spoon over the remaining pesto dressing and drizzle with the remaining balsamic to finish