Breastfeeding Friendly Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and packed with ingredients that genuinely support a nursing body, this salad is the kind of meal that feels indulgent without any of the guilt. Baby spinach brings a hefty dose of iron and folate, while extra-virgin olive oil and a generous pour of lemon juice keep everything bright and nourishing. The pesto here skips traditional pine nuts in favor of tiger nuts — a naturally sweet, fiber-rich option that blends into a beautifully creamy, dairy-free sauce right in your food processor. A pinch of turmeric folded into the pesto adds a subtle warmth and a quiet anti-inflammatory boost that nursing parents will appreciate. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber half-moons give the salad real texture and freshness, making every forkful satisfying rather than just virtuous. The whole thing comes together in minutes, which matters enormously when you're running on interrupted sleep and need something genuinely good on the table fast. Serve it with extra lemon wedges on the side and let the brightness of all those herbs do their thing.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup tiger nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
For the salad
- 6 oz baby spinach (about 6 packed cups)
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons
For serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the basil, tiger nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely ground and no large pieces remain.
- 2
With the processor running, stream in the olive oil in a slow, steady pour until the pesto is smooth and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides, then add the lemon juice, salt, and turmeric. Pulse 3–4 more times until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust salt.
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