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Kale Pesto: Your New Best Friend

January 7, 2013

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times (what does that saying really mean by the way?), if there's a food item I suggest every mom always keep in her fridge for a quick dinner fix, it's pesto. Pesto is your best friend during those times when it's late in the day and you're officially too brain dead to make dinner -- let alone think about what it should be. I should know, because I feel that way weekly.

I've rarely met a kid who doesn't enjoy pesto. Maybe it's the unmistakable taste of Parmesan cheese which makes it so addictive for them. Mixed into rice or pasta, as part of an Egg Pesto Melt, whipped up in an omelette (as Chloe has been asking for all this week), or using a good thick spread of it on chicken or fish before baking, pesto is a miracle food which makes most any food taste better.

Start your 2013 off right and ensure your mealtimes will be super easy from now on. Just make a big batch of this Kale Pesto recipe, put some in the fridge, and then freeze the rest in small individual containers so you will always have some on hand when you need it. And trust me, once your kids taste this recipe, you're going to!

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Kale Pesto  (makes 1 cup)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Total Time: 5 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed kale leaves
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts*
  • 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation

  1. 1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
  2. 2. Serve over rice, pasta or as a sandwich spread.
  4. Note: If you don't have toasted walnuts, you can easily make them. Just spread roughly chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and pop in a 400°F oven for five minutes.

Accompaniments: cooked pasta, cooked rice, chicken, fish or as a sandwich spread

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Comments






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  1. Pingback: Preserve Your Produce! « The PULSE!

  2. Audrey

    February 10, 2013 at 9:56 am

    Reply

    Can you make this without walnuts? Or will it taste totally different?

    • catherine

      February 11, 2013 at 12:13 pm

      Reply

      It will definitely taste different, but you can use just about any nut you prefer!

  3. Pingback: Food For Our Brood- Getting Your Kids To Love Pesto! - Eat Like No One Else » Eat Like No One Else

  4. Tina

    February 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    Reply

    My 4 year old says “Yum” whe he eats it with noodles. We love this recipe. Made a double batch and froze in 3oz cintainers. Will never be without it in my freezer!!

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  6. Pingback: The Buzz On…KALE! | The Hob-bee Hive

  7. Jess

    January 30, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    Reply

    A food processor is at the top of my “To-buy” list. Would this work in a blender? I have a stand mixer too, but no attachment that would puree anything.

    • catherine

      January 30, 2013 at 4:03 pm

      Reply

      Yes, a blender will work. Just watch it and scrape the ingredients down so that everything gets nice and smooth!

  8. d

    January 23, 2013 at 8:01 pm

    Reply

    wanted to use nutritional yeast to make the recipe vegan – how much would you suggest as a substitute for the cheese?

    • catherine

      January 24, 2013 at 11:18 am

      Reply

      I would start with half the amount. Taste it and see if you’d like more of that flavor in the pesto!

  9. Terri

    January 21, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    Reply

    This may very well be the perfect recipe to get my girls to eat some leafy greens! I’m definitely trying it soon.

  10. alena

    January 17, 2013 at 8:10 pm

    Reply

    I’m trying to add more greens by making pesto and smoothie for the whole family. And looking at your cooking gear, you used a Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor which I don’t have. I do have a magic bullet, would that be a good food processor for all your pesto and smoothie recipe? I just got your cookbook couple days ago and I remember seeing a post that you have two cookbooks, so when will the second book coming out? Thanks so much!

    • catherine

      January 18, 2013 at 11:36 am

      Reply

      The Magic Bullet should be just fine for all of those recipes! My second book will be coming out this summer!

  11. Alexandria

    January 17, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    Reply

    Made the Kale Pesto on Sunday night, had with bowtie pasta and a few grape tomatoes. My husband loved it. Had leftovers for lunch. Loved it! Made a pesto omelet (with spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes), LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!

  12. Sheila

    January 13, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    Reply

    Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe and it was deliecious—I shared it on my blog (giving you credit) and encouraged folks to follow you!!! Thanks for a great recipe!

  13. Elizabeth

    January 12, 2013 at 7:25 pm

    Reply

    Can you use pine nuts instead of walnuts or would it change the flavor too much?

    • catherine

      January 14, 2013 at 11:20 am

      Reply

      You can definitely use pine nuts! It will change the flavor, but it will still be yummy!

  14. Super Human Foods

    January 11, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    Reply

    I saw a Kale Pesto recipe that substituted sunflower seeds for nuts. As you may or may not know, seeds are much easier to digest than nuts!

  15. Samantha

    January 9, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    Reply

    I have made basil pesto – a good idea to freeze is to do it in ice cube trays, then when frozen, pop out and into a freezer bag!

  16. Cait

    January 8, 2013 at 11:56 am

    Reply

    Had some kale in the fridge so I made it last night–loved it! My 6-yr-old, who also loved it, kindly reminded me that I didn’t need to eat so quickly….. it was that delicious!

  17. Janelle Weems

    January 8, 2013 at 10:04 am

    Reply

    Wow ! So excited to try this ! My daughter loves the spinach pesto ( hubby too ) I make it every Sunday for the week! Can’t wait to add this to the fridge !

  18. cara

    January 8, 2013 at 8:40 am

    Reply

    just wondering if this can be refridgerated if a double batch is made?

    • catherine

      January 8, 2013 at 1:01 pm

      Reply

      Yes! This will keep in the fridge for about 5-7 days!

  19. Kelly S.

    January 8, 2013 at 12:32 am

    Reply

    I love your blog and your new cookbook! I have a 14-month-old and love that your recipes are all healthy, tasty,. and easy. Last night I made your Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Lemons, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives and added some whole wheat past with your Broccoli pesto on the side. She loved it (as did my husband), so I will definitely be trying this recipe. One thing I am finding, though, is that it is taking me quite a bit longer to prep the ingredients than is stated in the recipes. For example, I made your Sesame Udon Noodles for dinner tonight and it took me 20 minutes (instead of 2) to prep all of the ingredients. Maybe I’m just slow at chopping veggies and measuring stuff. Do you have any tips or tricks for making the prep faster and more efficient? Thanks!

    • catherine

      January 8, 2013 at 1:03 pm

      Reply

      I think that really comes with practice! Sometimes you can sort of do two things at once, like if something needs to be steamed or boiled you can start that while you’re chopping everything. :) Thank you for your kind words!

  20. Tina

    January 7, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    Reply

    Should i blanch the kale first??

    • catherine

      January 8, 2013 at 1:04 pm

      Reply

      Nope! Add it raw!

  21. evelyn wong

    January 7, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    Reply

    Hi..

    This is from singapore. Been browsing your recipes alot.. can I substitute kale with any other vegetables?

    • catherine

      January 7, 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Reply

      Spinach and collard greens are both great substitutes for kale!

  22. Nat

    January 7, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    Reply

    So yummy! I actually made it with the go raw sprouted plain punpkin and sunflower sees mix! I will deff be making this again!

  23. Zoogs

    January 7, 2013 at 6:09 pm

    Reply

    I am just now standing in the kitchen waiting for the pasta to cook dipping tortilla chips into this pesto and loving it! I know what I’ll be snacking on during nap time tomorrow (nearly guilt-free)!

  24. Susan

    January 7, 2013 at 4:18 pm

    Reply

    I’m allergic to milk (and thus the parmesan). Would it work to make itwithout the parmesan? I could eat everything else.

    • Danielle

      January 12, 2013 at 1:18 pm

      Reply

      My usual basil pesto recipe is free from parmesan (due to dairy issues in the family). I’ve always used about a tablespoon of white miso paste per 2 1/2 cups of basil. No one has ever missed the cheese. I haven’t played with the ratios in this (or other) pesto recipe yet, but the nice thing about pesto is that you can keep adding little bits and mixing until you find a nice balance. (Also, I don’t usually add salt other than what is in the miso, but that’s me.)

    • catherine

      January 7, 2013 at 5:23 pm

      Reply

      The parmesan adds tons of flavor. You can absolutely leave it out, it will just be a different flavor. If you can find nutritional yeast that tastes just like parmesan cheese! You could use that for the flavor.

  25. lilmagicmama

    January 7, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    Reply

    I hardly ever have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make one of your wonderful recipes but clearly my luck is changing for the new year, not only did I have everything I already made the pesto and had it for lunch. Thanks so much!

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