I stuck the finish! I continued my first day in weeks as a healthy, productive human being by whipping up a tasty, nutritious dinner. Back off, Martha.
Earlier in the afternoon Adam and I took a quick walk down Elmwood. We were both feeling twitchy and needed a chance to stretch our legs. Walking was good for our extra energy, and splitting a Java Twix Bar was good for our souls.
It’s been years since I’ve eaten a traditional Twix, but man this was good. The coffee undertones totally made it.
When we got home it was time to slave over a hot stove whirring food processor. Just kidding, this recipe came together in a flash. Meet your new go-to pesto:
Healthy Spinach Pesto, yields 11 ounces
- 8 cups fresh baby spinach
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 2/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Working in small batches, pulse spinach and oil in a food processor until. Be sure to process until smooth, don’t stop when you’ve reached the grass cuttings consistency.
- Add parmesan and pine nuts and continue to process until well-combined.
- Can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I love pesto, but store-bought varieties are anything but low-calorie and basil is so darn expensive that it’s not exactly cheap to make at home. I’ve been curious about trying a spinach based pesto for a while and I think this totally worked. The flavor is rich and nutty and not at all “healthy.” Tastes can be deceiving though, here are the nutrition stats I calculated for a 1 oz serving –
I wanted to test the recipe in a dish I already knew was good so I turned to my Pesto Pasta Casserole.
I doubled the recipe, and switched penne for spirals but other than I stuck with the original.
And it’s official, we love this new pesto!
If when you make it yourself I recommend trying out my Pesto Pasta Casserole too. It’s about the simplest recipe ever – just bake together pasta, pesto, arugula, and mushrooms – and it tastes delicious. Make it, make it, make it!
What’s your favorite way to eat pesto? I’m a big fan of cheeseless pizza with pesto and chicken.
Eating Chalk 
We love pesto on our pizza, too. With tons of veggies and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. If you put tomatoes on, their juices really soak up the yeast and its soo good.
Ok, I’ll add this to my list of a billion reasons why I need to stop being a whimp and try nutritional yeast!
Oh, I really like this recipe! I haven’t had pesto in forever and been meaning to get my hands on some. My favorite way to eat pesto is just smearing it on bread 😛