MSG Free Basil-Pesto Endive Salad
Crisp, slightly bitter endive leaves become the perfect edible vessel for a vivid, herb-forward pesto in this elegant salad. The homemade pesto is blended entirely from fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil — nothing from a jar, nothing with additives, just clean whole ingredients you can feel good about. That matters more than it might seem, since store-bought pestos and dressings are common hiding spots for flavor enhancers you'd rather avoid. Thinly sliced radishes add a peppery crunch, while fresh parsley and a hit of lemon zest keep everything tasting bright and alive. Each endive leaf gets its own little spoonful of pesto, making this as fun to assemble as it is to eat. A final pinch of flaky sea salt is all it takes to pull the whole thing together. It's the kind of dish that looks like it came from a restaurant but comes together in your own kitchen with total confidence about what's in it.
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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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