Vegan pesto with spinach, pistachios, and secrets

Although not a candidate for canning (the pH is too high), this is a great, healthy recipe for curing the midwinter blues. Pair it with some crusty bread or my hand-rolled noddles recipe.

Traditionally, Genovese pesto is basil, olive oil, pine nuts, salt, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. But even Italians love to get creative with pesto and swap out these core ingredients for similar characters.

Want to get creative? Here is the core recipe: greens (like basil, kale, spinach, or even broccoli), nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, pistachio, etc), oil (EVOO is the rule here), and cheese (parmesan, peccorino, aged gouda, or nutritional yeast for vegans are all options). Plus Garlic, lemon juice, and salt are essential.

This pesto uses spinach, kale and basil for the greens, pistachios for the nuts, plus a little sprinkle of vegan super-ingredient nutritional yeast for that cheesy taste. Garlic, lemon juice and zest, and salt are of course here too!

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup packed spinach

  • 1 cup packed kale (large stems removed)

  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

  • 1/2 cup roasted pistacios

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 large garlic clove

  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for a smoother pesto

  • Optional: nutritional yeast, capers, or oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

Instructions

  • In a food processor, combine the nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and pulse until well chopped, about 1 to 2 minutes.

  • Add the spinach, kale, basil and pulse until combined.

  • With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined.

  • For extra cheesy flavor, add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast. For brinier flavor, add 2 teaspoons capers. For more umami and a fun acidic flavor, add 2 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Briefly pulse to combine. Taste and adjust, adding more nutritional yeast, capers, or sun-dried tomatoes, as desired. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.

    Notes
    Store any leftover pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze the pesto in a freezer bag or ice cube trays. Then, transfer the pesto cubes to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Laena McCarthy