Simple Spinach Pesto Recipe

Spinach pesto is a sauce made of spinach, pine nuts, pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, olive oil, and garlic. Pesto usually incorporates fresh basil leaves, but you can add or substitute the greens to make kale pesto, or pesto with arugula or cilantro. Using spinach instead of traditional basil leaves adds a subtle sweetness to the sauce. Spinach is high in protein, vitamin K, potassium, and calcium. Jump to recipe.

Follow these tips to learn how to make pesto right every time:

1. 1. Add a pinch of salt. Adding salt to the spinach helps break down the leaves while blending.
2. 2. Brighten the flavor. Though not a traditional pesto ingredient, lemon juice and/or lemon zest can help brighten up a lackluster pesto.
3. 3. Play with texture. You can make the pesto thick, thin, chunky, or smooth depending on how you plan to enjoy the pesto.
4. 4. Store leftover pesto in the fridge, covered in a layer of olive oil. For longer-term storage, freeze pesto in ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. (Pesto won’t retain its beautiful bright green color after defrosting, but it’s a good trick when you have too much spinach.)
5. 5. Toast the nuts. Many recipes toast pine nuts to add a rich, roasted flavor to pesto, but you can also leave them raw. Using raw pine nuts saves some time vis à vis toasting and cooling, and it also preserves their sweetness. You can substitute cashews, almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds for pine nuts if desired.
6. 6. Use a food processor. Traditionally, cooks made this Italian sauce with a mortar and pestle, but most modern pesto recipes call for a food processor to save time.
7. 7. Use fresh spinach leaves. Frozen spinach tastes different from fresh spinach and contains more water, which could interfere with the pesto’s creaminess. You can use a combination of fresh spinach and basil to make a spinach-basil pesto.

You can serve spinach pesto as a sauce or a condiment for various dishes. Consider the following applications:

• Crostini: If you plan to enjoy spinach pesto on crostini (toasted baguette slices) or as a sandwich spread, make sure it’s on the thicker side so it spreads nicely but won’t drip over the edges of the crostini. Finish your pesto spread with shaved Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.
• Crudités: Purée the spinach pesto and serve it as a dip with a crudités platter (a tray of raw, cut vegetables), zucchini fries, or even pizza. Since the pesto has an earthy flavor, it pairs well with sweeter vegetables, such as bell peppers and carrots.
• Pasta: Spinach pesto is a good alternative to red sauce on pasta. It adds a distinct texture and flavor and adheres much better than a traditional marinara sauce to penne pasta and other types of pasta. You can add a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes to complement the garlicky flavor in a spinach pesto pasta dish.
• Pasta salad: You typically dress a pasta salad with mayonnaise or a vinegar-based dressing, but substituting spinach pesto sauce will add a unique flavor and increase the veggie content.
• Risotto: For a vibrant, green spin on the creamy rice dish, stir spinach pesto into risotto at the end for an extra boost of flavor.