A summery mason jar salad featuring a delicious white bean basil mix, fresh veggies, whole grain spelt berries, and an herbed vinaigrette. It’s the perfect light, healthy, plant-powered lunch! Vegan and gluten-free.
It’s like the lunch fairy landed on my doorstep and blessed me with her wisdom.
I always knew mason jar salads existed, but I never really got into them. The concept made so much sense. Layer everything in a jar then dump the contents in a bowl, fork it, and call it lunch. With seventy nine empty mason jars in the pantry and an endless supply of salad ingredients on hand at all time, what the hell was I waiting for? The lunch fairy?!
WELL. For some reason I had a hankering for salad-in-a-jarring last week and (after a lengthy Google search) ended up making these Mason Jar Chickpea Farro, and Greens Salad from Cookie and Kate, which inspired the version you stumbled upon today. They were delish in every sense of the word and from then on, I decided I would make some variety of mason jar salads for lunch each Sunday.
Best lunch decision I evah made.
I realized after moving that I have a lifetime supply of Bob’s spelt berries in my pantry. Not the worst problem to have. In addition to the delightfully chewy texture of these little whole grains, spelt berries are also packed with plant-powered protein and fiber. If you don’t have any on hand, try wheat berries (you can find them in the bulk bins), quinoa, brown rice, or whatever whole grain you fancy. If you don’t do grains, leave them out.
I love having a complete meal in a bowl, so the jar concept was no exception. You’ve got your bean salad, whole grains, raw veggies, and plenty of greens. The best part is that this recipe is super customizable. Use whatever beans you have on hand (chickpeas, black beans, whatever) along with whatever veggies and greens you prefer!
If you feel like whipping up a salad at home is a challenge, I’m so with you. I find that for some reason when all the ingredients are separate in my fridge, making a salad is about as appealing as running a half marathon in rubber flip flops. So do yourself a favor. Take some time on Sunday to prep five of these bad boys and enjoy a grab-and-go lunch every day of the work week! I packed one of these salads with some kind of muffin or a couple no-bake bites, celery and hummus, and an organic Gala apple to round it out. Flavors and textures galore.
To your taste buds, belly, and wallet…you’re so very welcome.
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley (stems are fine), packed
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- ¾ tsp salt
- lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cans cannelini beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- ½ red onion, diced
- ⅓ cup fresh parsely, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- ¾ cup dry wheat berries or spelt berries, cooked (sub quinoa for gluten-free)
- ¾ cup shredded carrots (optjonal)
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 5oz pkg arugula (or greens of choice)
- Cook grain of choice according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, place dressing ingredients in a blender (I used my Nutribullet). Dump into a large mixing bowl. Add cannellini beans, celery, bell pepper, red onion, herbs, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Portion bean salad evenly into 5 mason jars. Next portion the cooked wheat berries into jars, followed by carrots, tomatoes, and arugula.
- Once ready to eat, shake and dump into a large bowl.
What is the amount of each ingredient that goes into each jar? Worried I won’t be able to make five and want to have the right amount in each! Thanks 🙂
Hey Lindsey! I just distribute evenly…sorry I didn’t measure! I used a measuring cup to scoop everything if that helps.
Looks amazing! I love me some arugula…It is such a different taste that other greens, which makes it a little more interesting…DELISH!
ACKTIVE LIFE recently posted…Simple Protein Pancakes
RIGHT?! It’s my peppery obssession 🙂
This salad looks delicious. It really is an awesome concept. Took me awhile to get on the bandwagon too.
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment recently posted…Beautiful Back with 3 One-Arm Row Variations