Legume Free Basil-Pesto Endive Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.9

(29)

This bright, fresh salad is exactly the kind of dish that makes you feel like you've done something impressive with very little effort. Crisp Belgian endive leaves act as natural little boats, each one loaded with a vibrant, herb-forward pesto and topped with paper-thin radish slices, fresh parsley, and a hit of lemon zest. The pesto here skips the pine nuts and cheese entirely — it's built on fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil, which means it's clean, punchy, and completely free of legumes or any sneaky additives you'd have to second-guess on a store-bought label. That simplicity is actually what makes it so good: nothing competes with the herby brightness, and the flaky sea salt finish pulls everything together beautifully. It comes together fast in a food processor and looks stunning on a platter, making it an easy win for a dinner party starter or a light lunch that feels a little fancy.

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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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