Spinach Basil Pesto – Holiday Recipe Club

As I’ve mentioned before, I am a lover of all things sauces. Condiments, dips, glazes….basically anything you can pourable. I’m all about it. Most of the time, these sauces are so loaded with fat and calories that they can be a diet disaster. I’ve found a sauce that’s fresh and full of healthy ingredients and choc full of flavor. It doesn’t take a ton of this sauce to do the trick.

Spinach Basil Pesto. This isn’t your typical pesto. Besides fabulous fresh basil, there’s a whole bunch of spinach in it.

 

You don’t taste spinach at it….just the flavors of pesto that you would expect: basil, parmesan, lemon and pine nuts. Don’t get me wrong…I love spinach but I don’t want my pesto to taste like it. I like getting all the health benefits from the spinach without knowing it. :)

Spinach Basil Pesto

Slightly adapted from AllRecipes.com

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

Printable Recipe

This sauce is perfect for freezing. Pour any pesto you aren't using immediately into an ice cube tray, cover with plastic wrap, and store in freezer.  The Parmesan cheese can be omitted and added after thawing.  Just pop out a couple of cubes from the freezer and add to a pasta dish for a quick and easy meal.

Or eat it immediately on pasta like I did.

This post was a part of a Holiday Recipe Club organized by Erin from Big Fat Baker. Our ingredient choices this time were Spinach, Carrots and/or Eggs. When I saw an abundance of spinach in my fridge and basil on my counter, I knew a pesto needed to be born. What a wise decision.

If you are interested in joining our Holiday Recipe Club, please contact Erin here.

 

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