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Pack your next pasta night (or pizza night) with nutrition with this super simple Spinach Pesto recipe. It’s made without nuts, so it’s budget-friendly and allergy safe—and it stores well in the fridge or freezer for future meals!
Spinach Pesto
My family adores pasta (like so many families I know!) and this Spinach Pesto is one of our go-to sauces. I like it because the color stays bright green, the ingredients are straightforward, and it packs a serious punch of vitamins and iron from the spinach.
This is, hands down, my favorite way to serve up greens to my kids—that us adults enjoy too!
TIP: Find the rest of my favorite ways to serve greens to kids.
Spinach Pesto Pasta
This recipe makes enough pesto for about 1 pound of cooked pasta, so toss it with your favorite pasta—whether that’s regular, whole grain, or gluten free.
It works on any type of pasta you may prefer to use, whether the shape is short or long, made with wheat flour, or a gluten free option.
Ingredients
To make this easy pesto you’ll need:
- Baby spinach
- Fresh lemon
- olive oil
- Grated Parmesan cheese,
- Roasted sunflower seeds
TIP: You may also want to add a little salt, depending on the saltiness of the cheese. And one other cheese note: I much prefer the flavor of grated Parmesan versus shredded parmesan, so keep that in mind when buying it at the store.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the super simple process involved in making this recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Gather your ingredients.
- Place all ingredients into the blender or food processor.
- Blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl or using the stick that came with the blender.
- Use, or store in the fridge in an airtight container or freeze.
TIP: We love this as Spinach Pesto Pasta and on Pesto Pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or place into zip top freezer bags (I like pint size) and seal as you remove as much air as possible. Press flat and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp before using.
Absolutely! We make batches of this whenever we have a lot of spinach and use it for future meals all the time. Place it into zip top freezer bags (I like pint size) and seal as you remove as much air as possible. Press flat and freeze for up to 3 months.
TIP: Storing the pesto flattened in freezer bags allows you to break off smaller pieces of the frozen pesto if you just need a small amount for a recipe or meal.
You can use it on pasta like fusilli, as a sauce on pizza (so yummy with mushroom pizza!), with grains like quinoa, to top eggs, or to stir into a vegetable soup or Minestrone to add extra flavor. You can also spread a thin layer onto toast or grilled cheese. You can spread it onto chicken.
Sure! Just sub in kale, without the stem, or baby kale, for the spinach and follow the rest of the recipe.
You sure can. Simply add in a handful of fresh basil leaves when making the recipe to add a hit of that classic pesto flavor.
Spinach Pesto Without Nuts
I don’t typically use pine nuts in my pesto because while they do have great flavor, they are often hard to find for those of us who live in smaller towns. And they can be expensive.
Roasted sunflower seeds have a nice flavor, are accessible to everyone, and don’t have the same nut allergy concerns that pine nuts do. Win, win!
TIP: You can use raw sunflower seeds if that’s what you find at your store.
Tips for Making the Best Spinach Pesto
I’d love to hear your feedback if you make this recipe so please comment below!
Description
Try this healthy pesto with your favorite pasta or in place of pizza sauce on pizza!
Ingredients
- 4 cups lightly packed baby spinach
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Add the spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and seeds to a blender.
- Blend very well until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl or using the stick that came with the blender as needed. You can also do this in a food processor.
- Season to taste with salt if needed.
- Use with a pound of pasta, as a topping for pizza, or however you like!
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in a zip top freezer bag, with as much air removed as possible, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature to use.
Use a blender or food processor depending on what you have and what you prefer to use.
Blend the mixture well so there are no noticeable chunks of any one ingredient.
Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the mixture is evenly blended.
Taste and add a little salt if needed.
Use on Spinach Pesto Pasta or Pesto Pizza, or on grain bowls, eggs, in soup, or spread on toast.
Substitute in baby kale for the spinach to make kale pesto.
You may also like my Broccoli Pesto, my Pesto Pasta Salad, Pesto Pizza Rolls, and this handy tip for Freezing Greens.
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