Rice Free Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and packed with bold herby flavor, this spinach salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you're eating well without any effort. The real star is the homemade pesto — blitzed together with fragrant basil, garlic, lemon juice, and tiger nuts in place of the more common pine nuts, giving it a subtly earthy richness that works beautifully as a dressing. A pinch of turmeric adds a warm golden hue and a gentle depth that makes the whole thing feel a little more special than your average weeknight salad. Tossed over crisp baby spinach with cool cucumber half-moons and peppery radish slices, every bite has great texture and a bright, citrusy finish. For anyone navigating grain-free eating, this one is naturally in the clear — no fillers, no starches, just clean whole ingredients from start to finish. You control how much pesto coats the greens, so it's easy to dial up the flavor or keep it light depending on your mood. Serve it immediately so the spinach stays perky, and don't skip the lemon wedges — a final squeeze right before eating really pulls everything together.
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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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