Food and Recipes Side Dishes Sauces and Condiments Summer Sauce 4.5 (2) 2 Reviews Meet your new favorite no-cook sauce for summer meals. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 7, 2023 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Yield: 1 cup This sauce couldn't be easier to make or more addictive to eat. In 10 minutes, you'll have the perfect salad topper or sandwich dipper. Check your cabinets, because you may already have all of the ingredients on hand. Bringing together basil, parsley, mint, garlic, olive oil, salt, and lemon creates the brightest summer sauce we could ever imagine. It makes the most of fragrant herbs and all the best flavors of the season. We'd recommend a quick trip to your herb garden to gather the ingredients, but it's OK to get them from your grocery store, too. Once you combine the ingredients, be sure to set the mixture aside for 30 minutes, or refrigerate it until it's time for dinner. It's an explosion of fresh flavor—you'll want to use it immediately, but definitely be sure to use it within two days to ensure the freshest results. Our Test Kitchen professionals describe this mixture as bright and fresh, almost like a loose pesto that can adorn any summer dish. It could be the base of a vinaigrette (just add vinegar!), or it could even be turned into an addictive aioli (add mayo!). It's versatile and fun, but still elegant enough for a dinner party, and it's great for all manner of dishes. Have a salad? Pour it on. Dress your greens, your sandwiches, or your fresh produce. The possibilities are endless. If you have other herbs in your garden that you want to use, feel free to get creative in the kitchen and customize your summer sauce. This blend is unforgettable, though—it's a summery sauce to end all summery sauces. You can use either a food processor or a blender, but ensure that you don't increase the batch so much that it overflows. That might just be too much of a good thing. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Ingredients 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 garlic clove Directions Gather ingredients: Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Blend sauce: Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add additional salt or lemon juice, if desired. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Cover and chill until ready to use. Use within 2 days. Stacy K. Allen; Props: Julia Bayless; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Rate It Print