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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.
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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, you’re going to need some on hand!
Kale Pesto
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
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve over rice, pasta or as a sandwich spread.
- 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.
Great idea, how long can you freeze it for?
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!!
[…] Kale Pesto from […]
Yes, a blender will work. Just watch it and scrape the ingredients down so that everything gets nice and smooth!
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.
I would start with half the amount. Taste it and see if you’d like more of that flavor in the pesto!
wanted to use nutritional yeast to make the recipe vegan – how much would you suggest as a substitute for the cheese?
This may very well be the perfect recipe to get my girls to eat some leafy greens! I’m definitely trying it soon.
The Magic Bullet should be just fine for all of those recipes! My second book will be coming out this summer!
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!
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!
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!
You can definitely use pine nuts! It will change the flavor, but it will still be yummy!
Can you use pine nuts instead of walnuts or would it change the flavor too much?
By the way, I found this page while doing research on Kale for my new article. It’s a fun exploration of Kale’s super-powers and fascinating history! Check it out:
http://superhumanfoods.org/2012/11/kale-the-king-of-vegetable-superfoods.html
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!