Kale Pesto Recipe
A quick and easy kale pesto recipe that can be used in a myriad of dishes: spread it on crackers or sandwiches, serve it with fish, shrimp or chicken, use it as a pasta or pizza sauce. The options are endless! Whichever way you serve it, this pesto will enchant your taste buds.
Kale pesto is a variation of the classic basil pesto. It’s fresh, flavorful, ridiculously easy and ready in 8 minutes!
Kale is one of those foods that are really good for you. It has a high concentration of vitamins K, A, C, and antioxidants. With so many health benefits, who wouldn’t want to incorporate kale into as many meals as possible?
Blanching helps reduce the bitterness. To blanch kale, bring a large pot of water to the boil, and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice cubes. After removing the thick central stalk from the leaves, plunge the kale into the boiling water. Boil the leaves for about three minutes, then drain and plunge into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again, place the kale on paper towels and blot away the moisture.
Nothing turns me off from pesto more than too much oil, so this pesto is on the dry side. Feel free to add more extra virgin olive oil to your liking. When I mix it into pasta I usually reserve some of the cooking water to thin it out.
You can easily make it vegan and paleo by leaving out the parmesan cheese. Also, feel free to substitute the pine nuts with pistachios, almonds or walnuts.
Store kale pesto in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for about a week or freeze it in ice cube trays then transfer them to a ziplock bag.
How To Make It: Kale Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 kale leaves stem removed (I used curly kale)
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
- ½ clove garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- a large bowl of water
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with ice and water and put it in the fridge.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the kale for about 3 minutes, remove, and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Drain, place the leaves on paper towels, and blot away the moisture.
- In the bowl of a food processor, put the kale, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil and continue to pulse until the kale pesto reaches the desired consistency.
- Taste and add more salt or extra virgin olive oil if necessary.
- Store the kale pesto in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
I tried this recipe and loved it. I don’t have to worry about the calories because they are so low. I substituted a one pound bag of organic baby kale and spinach mix because it only cost a dollar at the 99 cent store. (No cooking needed) I used a whole clove of garlic.. It tasted great in my omelet, on crackers and on a toasted sandwich. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you for your feedback, Rosalie! I’m so glad that you were able to adapt the recipe to suit your preference.:)
Can I make this kale pesto without blanching the kale? I feel you will lose all the nutrients of the kale in the water.
Hi Clasina! Check out this post about blanching
Great recipe! I’ use pesto in pretty much everything. My favourite at the moment is pasta made with raw zucchini noodles and pesto. So simple and delicious!
Thank you for including my recipe, the roundup is beautiful!
I have a kale surplus so this recipe looks perfect. How long is the kale pesto safe to keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Veronica! You can store it in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for about a week or freeze it in ice cube trays then transfer them to a zip lock bag (it will last up to three months) :)