Big on flavor…Big on nutrition!
While this recipe for pesto isn’t the traditional paste made from crushing fresh basil, salt, garlic, several cheeses and some pine nuts with a mortar and pestle, it doesn’t sacrifice any flavor while adding in some solid nutrition. I love that it’s rich and creamy enough to spread on a cracker or as a base in a wrap, adaptable to serve over pasta, and makes a great addition to an otherwise bland sauce. Traditional pesto will turn brown when the basil has oxidized, but this pesto—with kale predominating over basil as the main ingredient will stay a beautiful bright green.
This pesto freezes well, so make extra to have on hand. Fill ice cube trays with pesto and freeze for at least 12 hours. Pop the pesto cubes into zip locks. They will stay good for 3-6 months, depending on the quality of your freezer. It’s super handy to be able to pop a couple of pesto cubes into marinara sauce, or quickly sautéed with some zoodles. Making these zucchini pesto bites couldn’t be easier with the pesto already made!
📖 Recipe
Kale + Cashew Pesto
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups firmly packed kale**
- ¾ cup firmly packed basil leaves
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- **curly or elephant or any combo
Instructions
Directions:
- Put all ingredients except oil in food processor and pulse until mixture begins to come to together.
- Run processor while slowly pouring oil into bowl. Continue to process until desired consistency. You may not need all of the oil.
- Store in air tight container in fridge for up to one week.
- Freeze extra pesto in ice cube trays and then pop out into zip locks. It will last 3-6 months, depending on the quality of your freezer.
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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