Pork Free Basil-Pesto Endive Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.9

(29)

This bright, fresh salad is the kind of dish that looks like it came from a restaurant but comes together in minutes with nothing more than a food processor and a few quality ingredients. The homemade basil pesto — built from fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil — is vivid and aromatic, a world away from anything jarred. Each endive leaf acts as a natural little vessel, cradling a spoonful of that silky green sauce before being topped with paper-thin radishes, flat-leaf parsley, and a hit of lemon zest. The result is crisp, herby, and just a little peppery, with flaky sea salt tying everything together at the finish. Because every single ingredient here is naturally plant-based and free from any cured or processed meat, there's zero guesswork about what's in it — just clean, whole foods doing all the work. It's an effortless appetizer or light starter that's as impressive to look at as it is to eat.

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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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