Artificial Food Coloring Free Basil-Pesto Fruit Harvest Salad
Bright, juicy, and unexpectedly sophisticated, this fruit salad brings together grapes, blueberries, strawberries, apple, and pear in a way that feels like so much more than the sum of its parts. The real star is the herby basil-pesto dressing — a quick whisk of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, and a hint of ground ginger that gets infused with chiffonade basil before it ever touches the fruit. That ten-minute rest lets the basil fully bloom into the oil, giving every bite a fragrant, garden-fresh depth you just don't get from bottled dressings. Speaking of bottled dressings, that's exactly where artificial dyes tend to sneak into otherwise wholesome dishes — bright red syrups, artificially tinted glazes, and pre-made fruit dips are common culprits. Here, every drop of color comes straight from the produce itself, so what you see is genuinely what you're eating. A scatter of torn fresh mint over the top adds one last layer of brightness and makes the whole bowl look like something out of a summer farmers market. It comes together fast, serves beautifully, and is the kind of dish that quietly impresses everyone at the table.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the basil-pesto dressing
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
For the salad
- 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 medium pear, cored and thinly sliced
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, fine sea salt, and ground ginger until fully combined and slightly emulsified.
- 2
Stack the basil leaves, roll them tightly lengthwise, and slice into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Add the basil to the dressing and stir to combine. Let the dressing sit for 10 minutes so the basil flavor infuses into the oil.
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