Artificial Food Coloring Free Basil-Pesto Cucumber Salad
Crisp, cool cucumbers draped in a vivid homemade pesto — this salad is as beautiful to look at as it is refreshing to eat. Every element here is made from scratch using whole, recognizable ingredients: fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of turmeric for that extra golden glow. There's no bottled dressing, no pre-made sauce, and absolutely nothing artificial hiding in the mix, which makes it a genuinely worry-free choice for anyone keeping a close eye on what goes into their food. The quick salting step draws out excess moisture from the cucumbers so the pesto clings beautifully rather than sliding off into a watery puddle. Blending the herbs with a slow stream of olive oil gives you a silky, bright green sauce that tastes far more impressive than the effort involved. Serve it immediately for maximum crunch, or let it sit a few minutes if you prefer the cucumbers a little more tender and deeply coated. Either way, it's the kind of simple, clean dish that disappears fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 2 large english cucumbers
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
For serving
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds or use a vegetable peeler to cut them into long ribbons, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a colander set over the sink, toss with 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, and let stand for 10 minutes until the cucumbers have released some liquid. Pat dry with paper towels.
- 2
Combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, and turmeric in a food processor or blender. Pulse 5–6 times until the herbs are roughly chopped.
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