Paraben 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 clean eating feel genuinely exciting. The star is a silky homemade pesto that swaps traditional pine nuts for tiger nuts — a clever move that keeps the recipe free from common preservatives and synthetic additives that sneak into store-bought versions. Blended with packed fresh basil, raw garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of golden turmeric, the pesto comes together in a food processor in just minutes and tastes impossibly bright. Baby spinach, crisp radishes, and cool cucumber half-moons give the salad real texture and freshness, so every forkful has something going on. Because every component here is made from scratch with recognizable, minimally processed ingredients, you sidestep the parabens and preservatives that often hide in bottled dressings and pre-made sauces. A squeeze of lemon and a scatter of torn basil at the end keep the flavors lively and clean. It's the kind of salad you'll actually crave rather than just tolerate.
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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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