Gluten Free Basil-Pesto Endive Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.9

(29)

This bright, elegant salad is the kind of dish that looks like it took serious effort but comes together in minutes with nothing more than a food processor and a few fresh ingredients. The homemade basil pesto — blended with garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil — is vivid, herbaceous, and completely free of any fillers or thickeners that can sneak into store-bought versions. Each endive leaf acts as a natural little vessel, cradling a spoonful of that glossy green pesto and making the whole thing effortlessly scoopable. Thinly sliced radishes add a peppery crunch, while fresh parsley and a hit of lemon zest keep every bite tasting clean and lively. A final pinch of flaky sea salt ties it all together in the best possible way. It's a stunning appetizer or light starter that happens to be naturally grain-free without any substitutions or workarounds required — just real, whole ingredients doing exactly what they should.

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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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