Carrageenan Free Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and built entirely from whole ingredients you can trust, this spinach salad is the kind of dish that makes eating clean feel genuinely exciting. The pesto is the real star — blitzed together from fragrant basil, raw garlic, and tiger nuts, which stand in for traditional pine nuts and bring a subtly sweet, earthy richness that works beautifully as a dressing base. A slow stream of extra-virgin olive oil emulsifies everything into a silky, herb-forward sauce, while lemon juice and a pinch of turmeric add brightness and a warm golden hue. Because every component here is made from scratch, there's no need to scan labels for hidden additives or thickeners that often sneak into store-bought dressings and prepared foods. The pesto gets tossed generously over baby spinach, crisp cucumber half-moons, and paper-thin radish slices for a salad that's as pretty as it is satisfying. Torn basil and a squeeze of fresh lemon at the table pull the whole thing together with a finishing flourish. It comes together quickly and tastes like something you'd order at a farm-to-table restaurant — except you made it yourself.
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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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