Rice Free Basil-Pesto Arugula Salad
Peppery arugula meets a vibrant, herb-forward pesto in a salad that feels both light and deeply satisfying. The dressing is the real star here — blitzed together in a food processor, it gets its body from tiger nut flour instead of the pine nuts or parmesan you'd find in a classic version, making it naturally grain-free and completely free of rice-based fillers or thickeners. The result is a thick, spoonable paste that clings beautifully to every leaf without weighing the salad down. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber slices add crunch and freshness, while two hits of lemon juice — one in the pesto, one in the dressing — keep everything bright and lively. It all comes together with a final scatter of torn basil that makes the bowl look like something you'd order at a nice bistro. This is the kind of salad that actually holds its own as a meal, not just a side.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp tiger nut flour
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 5 oz baby arugula (about 6 cups loosely packed)
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- flaky sea salt, to taste
For serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 2 cups packed basil leaves, garlic cloves, tiger nut flour, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and fine sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
- 2
With the processor running, stream in the 1/3 cup olive oil in a slow, steady pour until the pesto comes together into a thick, spoonable paste — it will be slightly textured, not completely smooth. Scrape down the sides and pulse once more to incorporate. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
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