Radish Salad With Radish Greens Pesto

This radish salad uses the whole bunch of radishes, with thinly sliced radishes dressed in a delicious radish greens pesto. The salad comes together in just 15 minutes and the pesto is so versatile and can be used for more than just the salad!

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. This is just an overview. Jump to the recipe card for the full quantities.

• Radishes: You’ll need the whole bunch for this salad – yes, greens and all!
• Navy Beans: These add protein and a great creamy texture without the need for mayo or yogurt.
• Lemon Juice, Salt, and Pepper: This often gets overlooked but always season and salt your salad!
• Mint Leaves: This adds a fresh burst that is a staple in all my favorite salads!
• Capers: Add that salty and vinegar flavor that would otherwise come from a vinegar-based dressing. You could also use pepperoncini.
• 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. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.

1. Separate the greens from the radishes.
2. Make the pesto by blending all the pesto ingredients.
3. Slice the radishes thinly and toss everything together!

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 keep 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 are a summer staple around my house.
• Easy Veggie Burgers that can be grilled while the salad chills.

Or check out all of my salad recipes here!