Spinach Pesto on Rice from WeeliciousPin

My greens obsession continues!

Can it be challenging to get kids to eat their greens? At times, absolutely. But it can really make a difference when you use your greens in creative ways.

Consider pesto. If your little one has an aversion to the color, I say get her involved in making it with you by letting her measure, dump and turn on the food processor. Sure it might make a bit of a mess in the kitchen, and you may have to do a little cajoling here and there, but I promise that when you’re done and your youngster can taste how flavorful her creation turned out, that “no green food” face is going to be replaced with a big smile.

And don’t forget to double the recipe so you always have extra spinach pesto on hand. I find it to be a lifesaver at mealtime. Just store the extra in freezer cubes and all you have to do is defrost one, toss it with pasta, rice, fish or chicken and voila, you have an effort-free meal in minutes!

Spinach Pesto on Rice from WeeliciousPin
Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week!
Spinach Pesto on Rice from WeeliciousPin

Spinach Pesto on Rice

No ratings yet
Servings: 5 servings
Author: Catherine McCord

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Stir into rice and serve.
  • * Can also be mixed into cooked pasta, fish or chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 520mg | Fiber: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. I just made this for St. Patty’s Day, and wanted to comment that aside from being delicious, the green color is so bright and pretty!

  2. Hi, it is delicious even without the pine nuts but is there anything I can substitute the pine nuts with for kids with a nut allergy?

  3. […] Pesto chicken with mashed potatoes. I made up another batch of spinach pesto and since it was made with […]

  4. Yum! Made this tonight and it was so good. I added about a cup of basil that I had on hand, turned out delicious. Mixed the pesto with some whole wheat penne and rotisserie chicken! Thank you Catherine for such an delicious and easy recipe.

  5. Made this with pasta and leftover chicken – yummy! Hard to know how much spinach as I eye-balled it but it’s a great way to use up a garden surplus of spinach!

  6. Found this to be much better reheated. Threw in some chicken and tofu I had left over and it was delicious!

  7. Hey, if i pay you a monthly fee will you display my banner ad? Say $10-20/mo. Drop us an email, Cheers.

  8. yum. next is the lazy recipe for spicy tuna crmaey pesto with chili and mayo. with ground beef and corned beef. crmaey pesto rice ALL THE WAY!

  9. I made this last night. I threw in a handful of fresh basil leaves and served with whole wheat linguini and grilled chicken. Delicious!

  10. I made a version of this last night and stirred it into whole wheat couscous. No nuts, but my DD (2) loved it!

  11. The pinenuts do add a lot of flavor. You’ll have a different flavor and consistency without them, but I think it would still taste great!

  12. I’m wondering of this would still be good without the pinenuts? Nut allergies in this house:(

  13. Can this be done with frozen spinach? If so, approximately how many ounces are equivalent to the “2 cups packed?”

    Thanks!

  14. Hi

    I’ve been following your pesto recipes for quite a while but I don’t know how young can I start my lilttle one on pesto typically made of raw veg?

  15. Susan,

    Do you mean that you just added mint to the recipie above or that you substituted the spinich for mint…I’ve to try at home!

  16. The other day I made this with some mint pesto and my son ate it! Stirred in a beaten egg to the cooked rice over medium heat – for extra protein. Super fast food was delish.

  17. Carolyn,
    There are so many brands of non-dairy/vegan cheese like Follow Your Heart that you can shredd and use. They used to just be found at Whole Foods and Sprouts, stores like that, but even my local grocery store carries non dairy cheese now.

  18. What can I substitute for Parmesan in pesto that is non dairy or soy? I have dairy and soy allergies

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating