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Plate of salad with sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, fried garlic, and dressing.

Deconstructed Pesto Herb Salad with Cracked Peppercorn Parmesan Dressing

Deconstructed Pesto Salad with cracked peppercorn parmesan dressing is exactly the deliciously light side dish you need to go with any Italian dish - or make it a light meal by adding a protein of your choice!

Course Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet DiabeticDiet, GlutenFreeDiet, LowLactoseDiet, LowSaltDiet, VegetarianDiet
Prep Time 15 minutes
Assembly 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 161 kcal
Author Laura Yautz

Ingredients

For the Pesto Herb Salad

  • 4 cups 6 oz Spinach Arugula Mix (or just baby spinach)
  • ¼ cup Toasted Pine Nuts
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh Parsley
  • 1 oz package fresh Basil, leaves only
  • 2-4 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes, packed in oil, drained
  • 4 Garlic cloves, sliced and fried (optional) See notes
  • Parmesan cheese for topping

Cracked Peppercorn Parmesan Dressing

  • 1 cup Silken Tofu
  • ½ cup unsweetened Soymilk (or milk of choice)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3 Garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp ground Black Pepper [or 1 Tbsp cracked Black Pepper]
  • ¼-½ tsp Salt, or to taste

Instructions

To make the dressing:

  1. Place all ingredients for the dressing into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until smooth. Add a little more milk if it’s too thick.
  2. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  3. Makes about 1 ¾ cups (about 14 servings)

To assemble the salad:

  1. In a large bowl, toss the spinach arugula mix with fresh basil and parsley. Tear any very large basil leaves so they are smaller than the spinach leaves.
  2. Divide among 2 - 4 plates.
  3. Top each salad with pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and fried garlic, if using.
  4. If desired, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.
  5. Drizzle each salad with about 2 Tbsp dressing.

Recipe Notes

Don't forget to check out our Tips and Substitutions section above!

To fry garlic, slice the cloves thin. Heat enough oil in a small skillet to submerge the slices. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel before using.