Gut Friendly Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and built from ingredients that genuinely support a happy digestive system, this spinach salad is the kind of bowl you'll want on repeat. The pesto is the real star here — blitzed together in a food processor with fragrant basil, 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, coating sauce, while lemon juice and a pinch of turmeric add brightness and a gentle anti-inflammatory nudge. Baby spinach, crisp cucumber half-moons, and paper-thin radish slices give you satisfying crunch and freshness in every forkful. Because you're making the pesto yourself, you control exactly what goes in — no mystery additives, no preservatives, just whole ingredients doing their thing. Toss it all together right before serving and finish with torn basil and a squeeze of lemon for a dish that looks and tastes far more impressive than the effort it takes.
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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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