Did you just go to the market and come home with a gorgeous bunch of radishes, leaves, and all? Well, if you did…this recipe is specifically for you because it not only uses thinly sliced radishes in the salad but also uses the green tops to make pesto for the salad! I wanted to make a super refreshing but hearty salad, so this combines a bright pesto with fresh mint and hearty navy beans. All the ingredients hold up well to the sauce (aka don’t get wilty) so it’s ideal for any summer BBQs you might have coming up!
This is the salad of the season
Healthy and filling are two words that don’t always pair well, but in this salad they do! Ready in just 15 minutes since the beans are canned and ready to go. Adaptable because you can add in more crunchy vegetables like English cucumber, sliced red onion, celery, or green onions if you have some that need to be used up. Oh! Or feta cheese for a little zing!
Here’s what you’ll need
This radish salad recipe is perfect for the home gardener or farmers market fanatic since it uses so much fresh produce.
Radishes: You’ll need the whole bunch for this salad – yes greens and all! The Salad: For the rest of the salad, you’ll need navy beans, lemon juice, pinenuts, mint leaves, capers, and a little salt and pepper. The Pesto: For the radish greens pesto, blend parmesan cheese, olive oil, pinenuts, garlic, salt, and pepper. Feel free to get creative by adding fresh herbs like fresh dill or basil.
It goes like this
To make this salad, you’ll need 15 minutes, a big bowl, and a food processor. Yup, that’s it.
This salad just works
This salad has so much going for it, but here are the main reasons it works so well.
It uses the whole radish so there’s no tossing out the green tops! Ingredients doing double duty in the pesto and the salad keeps the list short but the flavor big. It just gets better as it chills so you can make it in the morning and have it for dinner.
Serve It With…
This can be served alongside many classic summer mains, like:
Vegan Carrot Hot Dogs that actually taste like hot dogs! Vegan Lobster Rolls that are a summer staple around my house. Easy Veggie Burgers that can be grilled while the salad chills. With Jiffy Cornbread Casserole for a dinner made of side dishes (my personal favorite).
Or check out all of my salad recipes here!
