Here’s a classic pesto with a twist! This pesto recipe uses spinach in place of half the basil, and then everything is brightened up with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some sunny lemon zest.
It has all the flavor of traditional pesto, and it can dress warm pasta or make some mighty tasty pesto chicken wraps. It will also use up that bag of spinach you bought while helping to concentrate the nutrition in a pesto sauce that everyone will adore.
Ingredients for Spinach Pesto
- Spinach: Baby spinach is a tender and nutritious swap for some of the basil in the usual pesto sauce.
- Basil: Using fresh basil gives this pesto a classic flavor.
- Romano: Grated Romano cheese is a firm cheese with lots of flavor. Parmesan or pecorino would be simple substitutes.
- Fresh oregano: The fresh oregano adds some herbal complexity to the pesto, but it can be omitted.
- Garlic: Pungent, aromatic garlic brings a strong allium flavor to this spinach pesto recipe.
- Walnuts: Classic pesto includes toasted nuts, and walnuts are used here.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: Fresh lemon juice and zest add brightness to the pesto.
- Olive oil: Choose a fresh olive oil with a flavor you love, typically an extra-virgin olive oil.
- Pasta: If you’re making pesto pasta, have hot cooked pasta ready to go when the sauce is finished. Pesto is also a versatile way to add big flavor to other dishes, like in these pesto mashed potatoes.
Directions
Step 1: Combine the pesto ingredients
Place the spinach, basil, cheese, oregano, garlic and salt in a food processor, then cover and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the walnuts, lemon juice and zest, then cover and process until smooth. While the food processor is running, gradually add the olive oil in a steady stream.
Step 2: Serve with pasta
If you’re serving your pesto with pasta, toss the sauce with noodles while they’re still warm, then serve.
Spinach Pesto Variations
- Go nuts:Â Feel free to swap the walnuts for traditional pine nuts, or go nut free with sunflower seeds or pepitas.
- Try arugula:Â For a slightly spicy pesto, use arugula in place of the spinach.
- Make a vegan version:Â Pesto is made vegan by replacing the cheese with a vegan substitute or nutritional yeast.
How to Store Spinach Pesto
Store your spinach pesto sauce in a dish or glass jar, covered in a bit of olive oil, for up to a week.
Can you freeze spinach pesto?
Pesto freezes beautifully in ice cube trays. Portion it out, and after the sauce is frozen, pop the “cubes” into a zip-top bag, where they’ll keep for up to three months.
Spinach Pesto Tips
How can I chop the ingredients more easily?
A food processor with a chopping blade makes pesto-making a breeze.
What are the different ways to zest a lemon?
There are specific tools that make zesting a lemon simple. A lemon zester or a microplane work well, just be sure to only zest the yellow outer peel, and not the bitter white pith underneath. In a pinch, use a vegetable slicer to cut thin slices of peel, then mince them well. Here’s more on how to zest a lemon.
Is there a way to tame the taste of raw garlic?
Raw garlic is a classic component of pesto, but the sharp flavor can be too much for some palates. A quick dip in boiling water softens the garlic flavor of the raw cloves.
Why does my pesto taste bitter?
The culprit behind bitter pesto is usually the olive oil. Taste it and make sure it tastes fresh, fruity and peppery (oils can go rancid and have an off flavor). Also, blending olive oil can release bitter-tasting polyphenols. Combat this by pouring in only enough olive oil to blend the pesto smooth, then stir in the remainder.
