Wheat Free Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.5

(15)

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 sacrifice. The star is a silky homemade pesto built from two cups of packed basil, garlic, lemon juice, and a golden hint of turmeric — blended smooth with extra-virgin olive oil for a dressing that's anything but ordinary. Instead of pine nuts, tiger nuts do the heavy lifting here, giving the pesto a subtly earthy richness while keeping the whole recipe completely free of wheat and gluten concerns. Baby spinach, crisp radishes, and cool cucumber half-moons form the base, and once you toss them in that glossy green pesto, every bite delivers crunch, brightness, and depth all at once. Store-bought dressings are often a minefield of hidden additives and thickeners, so blending your own from scratch means you know exactly what's going in the bowl. A squeeze of lemon at the end lifts everything and makes the flavors pop in the best possible way. This one is easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough to bring to a gathering.

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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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