Mediterranean Buckwheat Grain Salad Recipe

In our opinion, you can never have too many salad recipes. They are a fantastic way to enjoy fresh, seasonal produce and get the most out of these nutritious ingredient. As well as that, salads can be consumed any time of day throughout every season of the year, so you'll want to make sure that you have good variety in your recipes.

This Mediterranean buckwheat grain salad, created in the kitchen of The Takeout recipe developer Jennine Rye, makes for a hearty and filling salad that can be enjoyed alone as a satisfying meal option or paired with a wide variety of other dishes for a larger dinner. Guaranteed to add variety to your salad rotation, this recipe takes only 20 minutes to cook and assemble, making it ideal for those days when you've barely got a moment to stand still. The nutty flavor of buckwheat meets fresh tomatoes, red onion, crunchy green pepper, and salty olives, and it's finished off with tangy feta and peppery basil in a garlic oregano dressing to give you a salad that is vibrant and full of flavor.

To begin this Mediterranean buckwheat grain salad recipe, you will first need to gather the ingredients. For the salad, you will want buckwheat groats, tomatoes, red onion, green bell pepper, black olives, feta, and fresh basil leaves. For the dressing, you will additionally need olive oil, a garlic clove (try our handy peeling hack), lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Boil a saucepan of salted water over medium-high heat.

Add the buckwheat groats to the water and cook for 10 minutes.

Drain and set to one side to cool.

To a jar with a lid, add the olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.

Place the lid on and shake vigorously to combine the dressing.

To a large bowl, add the cooled buckwheat groats, diced tomatoes, red onion, green pepper, black olives, feta, and basil leaves.

Drizzle with the salad dressing and then toss to combine everything.

Serve straight away or store in the fridge.

Despite its name, buckwheat is not actually a relative of wheat, and somewhat more surprisingly, it isn't actually a grain at all. Officially categorized as a pseudocereal, buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and is a type of seed that comes from a plant closely related to rhubarb. Buckwheat groats are most commonly sold in two forms: toasted or untoasted. Untoasted, or raw, buckwheat has a lighter coloring and a subtle flavor, and it can be soaked then eaten raw or cooked and consumed in a variety of ways in both sweet and savory recipes. Toasted groats are deeper in color and have a richer, nutty, and earthy taste, adding much more flavor to dishes than their untoasted counterpart.

This salad recipe uses toasted buckwheat to make the most of the deep flavor. If you are unable to get your hands on toasted groats in your local store, it is possible to toast the groats at home. Simply add them to a dry skillet over a medium-low heat and toast the groats for 5 minutes, until they are darkened in color and give off a nutty smell. Alternatively, you can simply use the untoasted groats in this buckwheat recipe, as they will still produce a delicious and filling salad.

One of the great things about salads, aside from their variety and nutritional value, is how easily adaptable they are as a dish. Whether you want to remove an ingredient that you don't like or adapt the recipe to suit a specific dietary requirement, it's always pretty simple to switch things up with a salad. The buckwheat salad recipe also works well as a mixed grain salad, and if you want to keep things gluten-free, you can halve the amount of buckwheat groats and replace them with quinoa or amaranth for a nutritious and delicious meal option. If eating a gluten-free diet isn't an issue for you, barley, spelt, or bulgur wheat make great grain additions.

For the rest of the recipe, you can easily change up the fresh ingredients you add to this buckwheat salad. For example, cucumber or celery make great substitutions for the green pepper, adding both color and a refreshing crunch to the final dish. Green olives can be used in place of the black olives, and heritage or cherry tomatoes make for delicious and juicy options when you are choosing your tomato variety. Finally, this salad works well with a variety of fresh herbs, so don't feel that you have to stick with basil. Parsley, chives, or cilantro would also add lovely flavor to the salad.