This spinach pesto is ready for devouring in minutes! All you need are a few ingredients and a food processor or blender and you are set! Flavor up a comforting bowl of pasta, add some zing to a boring sandwich, fancy up some fish or chicken, or simply dip some fresh bread into it. This pesto is easy, versatile, and delicious!
Everyone loves pesto, but let's face it. Pine nuts can be crazy expensive and if you're living in places where big handfuls of Italian basil are hard to come by (like me in Hong Kong), you have to get creative! Using commonly found spinach leaves and roasted cashews, this is a delicious pesto in its own right!
Ingredients
- Fresh spinach
- Roasted unsalted cashews
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
Instructions
Add the washed spinach, cashews, garlic, parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor.
Pulse or process all the ingredients until they are finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and pulse a few more times.
With the motor running, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feeder tube.
Process until smooth for a creamier pesto or to your desired consistency, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more extra-virgin olive oil. Season with extra salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and/or lemon juice to your taste.
If not using right away, transfer the pesto to a jar and keep refrigerated for about 7 days (add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top of the pesto), or portion into an ice cube tray, freeze, and store the pesto cubes in a resealable bag in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Substitutions
Spinach: The obvious substitution for spinach is the traditional Italian basil leaves like in traditional pesto. However, you can also substitute the spinach with other dark leafy greens like kale, sweet potato leaves, arugula, etc. They'll all work!
Cashews: For the cashews, you can go with the traditional pine nuts, but walnuts or almonds also make great stand-ins.
Serving Suggestions
Mix the spinach pesto with hot cooked penne, linguine or your favorite pasta shape and top with some more freshly grated Parmesan for a delicious comforting meal.
Dollop some spinach pesto on cooked fish, chicken, fried eggs, or shrimp, spread on toasted baguette slices and top with prosciutto for appetizers, or use it as a dip for warm bread. Mix some with mayonnaise for spreading in sandwiches!
Other Sauce Recipes
Here are some other sauce and dip recipes you might like:
Traditional pesto with Italian basil and pine nuts is always a winner, but substituting with more readily available or affordable ingredients can also be super delicious! Ready in minutes, this spinach pesto is good on so much more than pasta!
~ Lisa.
Spinach Cashew Pesto
Ingredients
- 100 grams fresh spinach, washed and spun-dry
- ⅓ cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teapsoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the washed spinach, cashews, garlic, parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse or process all the ingredients until they are finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and pulse a few more times.
- With the motor running, slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feeder tube.
- Process until smooth for a creamier pesto or to your desired consistency, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit more extra-virgin olive oil. Season with extra salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and/or lemon juice to your taste.
- If not using right away, transfer the pesto to a jar and keep refrigerated for 7 days (add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top of the pesto), or portion into an ice cube tray, freeze, and store the pesto cubes in a resealable bag in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Notes
- 100 grams spinach is approximately 3 cups packed.
- Substitute the spinach with basil leaves, kale, sweet potato leaves, arugula.
- Substitute cashews with pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds.
- Keep the pesto in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 days (add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top of the pesto), or portion into an ice cube tray, freeze, and store the pesto cubes in a resealable bag in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- Mix with hot pasta, mix with mayonnaise for spreading in sandwiches, dollop on cooked fish, chicken, fried eggs, or shrimp, spread on toasted baguette slices and top with prosciutto for appetizers, or use it as a dip for warm bread.
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