Kale and Basil Pesto
This recipe was motivated by my veggie order, I was determined to find a great way to use up a whole bunch of kale, which no one seems to like 🤷♀️
Honestly though, I think from now on it’s going to be split between this recipe and my Kale Chips which I’m in love with. Mike says he can’t understand why I’m eating burnt grass 🙄 but they’re actually delicious AND addictive… he doesn’t know that because well, he won’t try them.
Mike however, ate this pesto and he liked it. He even said it was good. If he likes something and says it’s good then you know it’s a keeper – he’s a man of few words 🤣
I use my food processor but a blender would work too. So Combine the almonds, basil, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil, pulse a few times to get things broken up.
Add in half of the kale and blend until completely smooth, Then add in the rest of the kale and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and puree until completely smooth. Its going to smell like heaven, liquorice and fresh cut grass to be exact!
Add in the parmesan and blend to incorporate.
So simple yet incredible.
I served the pesto on angel hair pasta, check out the notes for instructions.
This pesto recipe is garlicky, salty and crunchy but what will strike you most is that it tastes fresh, it tastes like springtime wrapped up in summer!
A Pesto Recipe made from Kale and fresh basil. Its garlicky, salty and crunchy but what will strike you most is that it tastes fresh, it tastes like springtime wrapped up in summer!
Other recipes you might be interested in:
Kale Chips
Pesto Sauce
Pesto Pasta Salad
Potato and Green Bean Pesto Salad
Kale and Basil Pesto
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 - 1 1/2 Cups 1x
Description
A Pesto Recipe made from Kale and fresh basil. Its garlicky, salty and crunchy but what will strike you most is that it tastes fresh, it tastes like springtime wrapped up in summer!
Ingredients
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup basil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 bunch kale, clean and dry
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese (or more 😉)
Instructions
Combine the almonds, basil, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil, pulse a few times to get things broken up.
Add in half of the kale and blend until completely smooth.
Then add in the rest of the kale and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and puree until completely smooth.
Its going to smell like heaven, liquorice and fresh cut grass to be exact!
Add in the parmesan and blend to incorporate.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Notes
- Cook the pasta according to package directions and reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water just before straining. Return the empty pot to the hot burner but make sure the burner is turned off. Add 1/2 cup of the pesto to the pot and ten return the cooked pasta as well. Mix well and if the mixture seems to dry then add in some of the reserved water, a bit at a time until you get the desired consistency. Serve with some extra parmesan and fresh cracked pepper.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 0 Minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: italian
Keywords: kale, kale pesto, kale and basil pesto, basil pesto, healthy, healthy pesto, healthy Italian, Italian food, healthy Italian food, LisaGCooks.com
How to clean and prep kale:
Submerge in clean water, mix around to release any sand. Repeat this step at least 3 times.
Lay to dry completely on a clean kitchen cloth.