Almond Free Basil-Pesto Endive Salad
This salad is a study in freshness — crisp, slightly bitter endive leaves act as natural scoops for a vibrant, herb-forward pesto that comes together in under a minute in the food processor. The pesto itself skips nuts entirely, leaning on fragrant basil, bright lemon juice, a single clove of garlic, and good olive oil to deliver that bold, grassy punch you want. Store-bought pesto almost always contains pine nuts or almonds, so making your own here is both the smarter and more delicious choice. Each endive leaf gets a generous smear of that green sauce, then a scatter of paper-thin radishes and flat-leaf parsley for crunch and color. A hit of lemon zest and flaky sea salt at the finish ties everything together with a little sparkle. It's elegant enough to serve at a dinner party but genuinely simple to pull off on a weeknight.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 oz fresh basil leaves (about 2 packed cups)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 3 medium heads belgian endive (about 12 oz total)
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- flaky sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Combine the basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, and fine sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 6–8 times until the basil is roughly chopped and the garlic is minced.
- 2
With the processor running, stream in the olive oil in a slow, steady pour until the pesto is smooth and bright green, about 20–30 seconds. Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice as needed.
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