How much spinach should be added?

It's up to you. The recipe suggests a small handful, but you can add more or less, depending on what tastes good to you.

Can I make this recipe using only spinach (no basil)?

Yes, but it won't taste like traditional pesto. Make sure to blend it well so the spinach is very finely chopped or a smooth paste.

Do I have to add cheese?

Cheese helps gives pesto it's rich texture and savory flavor. If you don't want to add cheese, you can make vegan pesto by adding half of an avocado instead, which changes the flavor slightly but adds a creamy texture. You can also try adding a few teaspoons of nutritional yeast , which has a savory flavor similar to cheese.

Will this pesto turn brown?

Spinach adds a vibrant green color to this pesto, but eventually even this pesto will take on a darker, brownish hue. This happens when the blended basil leaves are exposed to air (or heat) for even a short amount of time. It's almost impossible to avoid oxidation, but there are a few tricks that might help. 1. Blanch the basil and spinach in boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Squeeze excess water out of the leaves, then continue with the recipe. 2. Add lemon to the pesto 3. Add ascorbic or citric acid. This is what's often added to store-bought pesto. 4. Store the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil on top, then press plastic wrap against the olive oil

Spinach Pesto

Spinach Pesto Recipe

a small glass bowl of spinach basil pesto next to slices of baguette

Print Recipe

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Made with a blend of baby spinach and basil, you hardly even know that spinach is packed into this delicious spinach pesto.

You can use a variety of different nuts for this recipes. Pine nuts, toasted slivered almonds, walnuts and cashews are all good options. To make nut-free pesto, use sunflower seeds.

Author: Jenny Meier
Prep Time: 10
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Vegetarian
Method: Blend
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 tablespoons nuts, ideally toasted (pine nuts, slivered almonds, walnuts or cashews)
1 clove garlic ( or more if you really like garlic)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese
1 handful raw baby spinach leaves (either a small or big handful, it's up to you)
2 cups packed basil leaves (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or slightly more to adjust the texture)
Salt, to taste

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Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor, blend the nuts, garlic and grated cheese until very finely chopped.
Add the spinach and blend for about 10 seconds until the leaves are very finely chopped (scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed)
Add the basil, then put the lid back on the food processor.
Slowly pour in the olive oil with the blade running, continuing to blend until the pesto reaches a consistency you like. If you’d like the pesto to be less thick, then add more olive oil.
Add salt to taste.

Notes

I buy a bag of pre-washed baby spinach, which makes it easy to add fresh spinach to pesto.

This spinach pesto tastes best if eaten within 3 to 5 days.

If you prefer less cheese, you can go down to 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. It's likely you'll have to add salt to make up for the lost flavor.

Find it online: https://www.kitchenskip.com/spinach-pesto/