Cinnamon Free Basil-Pesto Radish & Cucumber Salad
This vibrant salad is a celebration of fresh, garden-forward flavors — crisp cucumber rounds and peppery radish slices brought together by a bright, herb-packed basil pesto that you blitz up right in the food processor. The pesto itself is beautifully simple: fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and good olive oil, no pine nuts or cheese required, which means the herb flavor really gets to shine without anything muddying it. A quick salt-and-rest step draws out excess moisture from the vegetables first, so the pesto clings to every slice instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. The result is a salad that tastes far more complex than the ingredient list suggests — cool, a little sharp from the radishes, and grassy-bright from all that fresh basil. For anyone navigating spice sensitivities, this kind of recipe is a genuine relief: every ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify, with no spice blends or seasoning mixes hiding anything unexpected. It works beautifully as a light lunch, a side dish alongside grilled proteins, or something to bring to a potluck where you want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 2 medium english cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 bunch radishes (about 10–12), thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cucumber rounds and sliced radishes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, toss to coat, and let stand for 10 minutes until the vegetables release some of their liquid.
- 2
While the vegetables rest, combine the basil leaves, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the herbs are roughly chopped.
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