Best 7 Simple Basil Spinach Pesto Recipes

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Welcome to the delightful world of simple basil spinach pesto, a culinary masterpiece that combines the vibrant flavors of fresh basil and spinach with a symphony of olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and garlic, creating a versatile sauce that can transform any dish into an extraordinary culinary experience. In this article, we will embark on a flavorful journey, exploring the secrets of crafting the perfect simple basil spinach pesto, providing you with tips and tricks to create a tantalizing sauce that will elevate your meals to new heights. Whether you are a seasoned chef or a home cook looking for a burst of flavor, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to create a delectable pesto that will impress your taste buds and leave you craving more.

Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!

SPINACH-BASIL PESTO



Spinach-Basil Pesto image

Toss this rich, garlicky pesto with pasta or use as a spread. It also freezes well for fresh flavor over the winter. -Jaye Beeler, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Provided by Taste of Home

Time 10m

Yield 1-3/4 cups.

Number Of Ingredients 8

6 garlic cloves, halved
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1-1/2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts, toasted
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Steps:

  • Place garlic in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add spinach, basil and walnuts. Pulse until chopped. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Continue processing while gradually adding oil in a steady stream. Freeze option: Freeze pesto in freezer containers. To use, thaw in refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 167 calories, Fat 17g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 5mg cholesterol, Sodium 177mg sodium, Carbohydrate 2g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 3g protein.

SPINACH-BASIL PESTO



Spinach-Basil Pesto image

This pesto is so simple, and its mild, herbaceous flavor makes it the ideal companion for just about any of the meatballs. While many pesto recipes call for pine nuts, we prefer the flavor (and lower price) of walnuts. Try roughly chopping them to add a nice, crunchy texture. We also love this as a healthy party dip, especially because it has no raw garlic - your guests will thank you too! You can swap arugula for spinach if you prefer. Pesto freezes well and will keep for up to three months in the freezer.

Provided by Tara Parker-Pope

Time 30m

Yield 4 cups

Number Of Ingredients 6

1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated rennet-free Parmesan cheese

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for about 12 minutes, giving them a shake after 6 minutes. Continue roasting until golden brown and toasted. Set aside and allow to cool thoroughly.
  • Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl half way up with ice and water and set close to the sink.
  • Dump the spinach and basil into the boiling water and stir. After 1 minute, strain the greens, and plunge them into the bowl with ice water. Drain the greens again and squeeze them tightly to get as much water out as possible. Chop the greens roughly.
  • Combine the greens and walnuts with the salt, olive oil and Parmesan in a food processor and process until a smooth consistency is reached. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 40, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 0 grams, Fat 4 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 18 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams

SPINACH BASIL PESTO



Spinach Basil Pesto image

This sauce is perfect for freezing in an ice cube tray. I just pop out a couple of cubes from the freezer and add to a pasta dish for a quick and easy meal. The Parmesan cheese can be omitted and added after thawing. Pour any pesto you aren't using immediately into an ice cube tray, cover with plastic wrap, and store in freezer.

Provided by Dianne

Categories     Side Dish     Sauces and Condiments Recipes     Sauce Recipes     Pasta Sauce Recipes

Time 20m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 ½ cups baby spinach leaves
¾ cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup toasted pine nuts
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Steps:

  • Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 67 calories, Carbohydrate 0.8 g, Cholesterol 1.5 mg, Fat 6.6 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 1.5 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 87.2 mg, Sugar 0.1 g

SPINACH PESTO



Spinach Pesto image

I don't like nuts in my pesto and I like spinach better than basil so I came up with this fast pesto recipe and I love it. I never measure but I tried to put it into measurments. It's best not to warm the Pesto mixture as it doesn't need it.

Provided by Jamilahs_Kitchen

Categories     One Dish Meal

Time 30m

Yield 4-6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 cups spinach (baby spinach or regular spinach)
1/2 lemon, juice and zest of
1 -2 garlic clove (pressed)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 ounce parmigiano-reggiano cheese (grated)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato (optional add as much as you like) (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb pasta (thin spagetti, spagetti or Angel Hair pasta)

Steps:

  • In the food processor put in the spinach,lemon zest, lemon juice,garlic,olive oil,salt,pepper and cheese (sundried tomatoes). Process til spinach is small and everything is well combined.
  • Meanwhile boil pasta til Al Dente.
  • Pour Pesto mixture into large Pasta bowl and toss in hot pasta to coat and 1 or 2 tbs of pasta water if needed.
  • Serve immediately with chicken or eat alone.
  • Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 618.2, Fat 21.7, SaturatedFat 4, Cholesterol 5.1, Sodium 430, Carbohydrate 86.8, Fiber 4.1, Sugar 2.2, Protein 18.1

SPINACH-BASIL PESTO



Spinach-Basil Pesto image

Yield makes 1 to 2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 cup packed spinach leaves
1 cup packed basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

  • Rinse the spinach leaves a few times until they have no sand left on them, and put them into a colander or strainer. Add the basil leaves and pour boiling water over them, making sure that they all get covered. Immediately submerge the spinach and basil in cold water. Once cool, squeeze the leaves to extract as much water as possible.
  • In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process until it becomes a smooth paste. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

BASIL, SPINACH AND ARUGULA PESTO



Basil, Spinach and Arugula Pesto image

Provided by Elaine Louie

Categories     dinner, lunch

Time 1h

Yield 2 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

3/4 cup olive oil, or as needed
10 cloves garlic
4 ounces basil or chervil
2 ounces baby spinach
2 ounces baby arugula
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground
1/4 cup ricotta salata, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Steps:

  • For the garlic confit. Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a small pan over low heat until warm. Add garlic cloves and cook until very soft, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic cloves, reserving both cloves and oil.
  • For the pesto: Have a large bowl of ice water ready. In a small pot over high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, and blanch basil or chervil until tender, about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to ice water. Place spinach and arugula in boiling water until bright green and tender, about a minute. Drain well and transfer to ice water. When greens are well chilled, drain well, place in a kitchen towel, and squeeze as hard as possible to remove excess moisture.
  • In a blender, combine half the garlic cloves, half of the garlic cooking oil, half of the blanched greens (basil or chervil, spinach, and arugula), half of the hazelnuts and half of the ricotta salata. Blend five minutes.
  • Add the remaining garlic cloves, garlic cooking oil, blanched greens, hazelnuts and ricotta salata. Blend, adding 1/4 cup additional olive oil, or more as needed, for two to five minutes, to make a thick but pourable pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend one minute more. If desired, serve over hot linguini or other pasta.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 927, UnsaturatedFat 78 grams, Carbohydrate 13 grams, Fat 96 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 600 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams

SPINACH & BASIL PESTO



Spinach & Basil Pesto image

This is a tasty basil-spinach pesto, good on bruschetta, chicken, pasta, and more. It is from Relish magazine.

Provided by JoyceJoann

Categories     Spinach

Time 10m

Yield 2 1/2 c, 12 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 (9 ounce) bag spinach leaves, washed and trimmed (8 cups loosely packed)
1 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 garlic clove (or more -to taste)
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper

Steps:

  • Combine spinach, basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds.
  • With the machine running, add olive oil. Process until mixture is creamy. This may need to be done in batches.
  • Transfer to a glass bowl. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper.

Tips:

  • For the best flavor, use fresh basil and spinach.
  • If you don't have pine nuts, you can use walnuts or almonds instead.
  • To make the pesto smoother, add a little olive oil or water.
  • Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Pesto is a versatile condiment that can be used on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and more.

Conclusion:

Basil spinach pesto is a delicious and easy-to-make condiment that can be used in a variety of dishes. It's a great way to add flavor and nutrition to your meals. With its vibrant green color and nutty flavor, basil spinach pesto is sure to become a favorite in your kitchen.

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