Basil is one of the first things I plant each Spring. I love everything about it; the color, the smell, the taste, and how easily it grows in a planter on my back deck. It’s also a key ingredient in many of the dishes I make, hence the bog title!
Yesterday I grabbed a few handfuls of basil from my garden, pulled some fresh spinach out of the fridge, assembled some other ingredients and got out my trusty Ninja Food Processor. Within two minutes I had everything I needed to make this delicious, creamy spinach basil pesto. You might be wondering how and why spinach? Well, it’s a great filler and it’s important for skin, hair, and bone health. Spinach also provide protein, iron, vitamins, and minerals, so there’s that benefit too! And I promise, you would never know it by the taste of the final product.
Next up, I used the rest of the pine nuts on hand (which turned out to only be a tablespoon or two) and I decided to throw in some raw walnuts for the heck of it. Next was minced garlic, cause you know, gotta have that in everything too, then salt, a little bit of lemon juice, and plenty of olive oil. Throw it all in the Ninja Food Processor, blend it for a few minutes adding in more oil if needed, and voila! Delicious spinach basil pesto! Perfect on pasta, zucchini noodles, chicken, or even tossed in a salad.
Let me know what you think if you try out the recipe!
- 3 Tbs pine nuts
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tsp butter
- 5 cups spinach stems removed
- 3 cups basil leaves stems removed
- 1 Tbs minced garlic
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Melt butter in a small pan and heat the pine nuts and walnuts until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to add more oil depending on the thickness.
- Serve with your favorite dish!
