Spinach Pesto

Prep Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Servings: ounces

Author: Heather Nicholds

Pesto is delicious, but store-bought versions often include cheese, and it can be pricey to make your own with fresh basil and pine nuts. Spinach is a great stand-in for the bulk of your pesto, as it is less expensive than fresh basil. I also use pumpkin seeds as a more economical option to pine nuts, and nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup fresh parsley, or fresh basil
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more as needed
2-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast, optional
1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
3-4 Tbsp water, plus more as needed (depending on how much nutritional yeast you use)
pinch sea salt

Instructions

In a food processor or small blender, process the pumpkin seeds until they’re broken up quite a bit.
Add the spinach, parsley, olive oil, nutritional yeast (if using), lemon juice, garlic, and water and process until smooth. If necessary, stir in an extra drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, and/or water to get a creamy texture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer indefinitely.

Notes

If you prefer a softer garlic flavor, when you have the oven on for something else (between 350°F and 400°F), put some garlic cloves, in their skins, in a small oven-proof dish and bake for about 10 minutes, until soft. Squeeze them out of their skins to use—they’re great spread on bread or mashed into potatoes.

Nutrition