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My homemade walnut spinach pesto is always a hit! It’s perfect to use in sandwiches, mixed in with cooked pasta, and it’s delicious on almost anything!
Homemade walnut spinach pesto. Every time I make it, I ask myself why I don’t keep this on hand all the time.
It’s perfect to layer in sandwiches – think an Italian Muffuletta sandwich with layers of fresh mozzarella, spinach pesto, and meat or roasted eggplant. It’s also great on its own with freshly cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water. Not kidding you; I could eat spinach pesto pasta every day of the week.
Truth be told, I almost prefer spinach pesto to basil pesto. It’s a more mellow flavor and a great way to fit spinach into your diet. And have you seen that trend going around where you put pesto in a skillet and cook eggs in it? How good would that be with walnut spinach pesto?
Ingredients in spinach pesto:
- Olive Oil: I prefer to use olive oil for this recipe as I think the flavor works well with the other ingredients but you could also use other oils here too. For my garlic lovers, a garlic infused olive oil would be even more delicious.
- Nuts: I use walnuts for this recipe. I prefer the flavor of walnuts with spinach and they happen to be heart healthy too. You could also use pine nuts here but they aren’t as economical as walnuts.
- Garlic: I use 3 small cloves of garlic. Keep in mind the pesto does get a bit more pungent with three cloves as it sits, so if you’re anticipating leftovers or making this in advance for later, I suggest using 2 cloves.
- Lemons: You’ll need both fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. The zest helps provide a delicious lemon scent and the lemon juice adds a hint of tartness to the pesto.
- Seasonings: I use a pinch of red pepper flake and kosher salt for this recipe. Feel free to omit the red pepper flakes if you’re preparing this for little ones. We found the pesto wasn’t spicy with this amount of red pepper flakes.
- Baby Spinach: You’ll want 2 packed cups of spinach for this recipe. Baby spinach tends to produce the best flavor, however, regular spinach will also work. You could also replace some of the spinach with arugula if you want the pesto to have a peppery flavor.
- Fresh Basil: The basil is optional, but I like to add in a handful to just give the pesto a bit more flavor. There are a few subs you could use if you aren’t a fan, find them below in the FAQs.
FAQs about homemade walnut spinach pesto:
How do you keep the pesto from browning if you’re serving this later?
Add a thin layer of olive oil on top of your prepared pesto. This will prevent air from getting into the pesto and keep it from browning. You can pour the oil off (or use it for cooking later!)
How long does prepared pesto last?
The pesto will last for about 3 days if you don’t cover it with a thin layer of oil. Pesto will last for about 5 days if you do cover with oil.
What if you don’t have fresh basil on hand?
If you don’t happen to have basil on hand, feel free to use another packed ¼ cup of spinach or fresh arugula. You could also add in 2 teaspoons of dried basil (along with an additional ¼ cup of greens) if you want it to have that flavor.
8 ways to use homemade spinach pesto:
- In spinach pesto pasta (recipe coming soon)
- On a breakfast pizza
- In chicken meatballs
- Dolloped on my tomato quiche
- In my flavorful mediterranean pasta salad
- Use on grilled chicken
- Swirl it into whipped feta
- As a layer in grilled cheese sandwiches
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Homemade Basil Pesto
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Just Like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
- Big Batch Taco Seasoning
Quick Walnut Spinach Pesto
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup EACH: olive oil AND walnuts
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano or parmesan
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups baby spinach packed
- ¼ cup basil leaves packed (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- BLEND: In the bowl of a food processor, add the oil, walnuts, cheese, garlic, lemon zest + juice, and red pepper flakes. Run the food processor until the garlic becomes finely minced and the walnuts break down.
- SCRAPE: down the bowl. Then, add the baby spinach, basil, and salt. Continue to run the food processor until the leaves break down into a sauce-like texture. Stop the food processor, taste, and adjust with additional salt. If using pesto for a pasta recipe, I suggest holding off on adding additional salt for now. Place the pasta in a jar and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes
- BASIL: if you don’t happen to have basil on hand, feel free to use another packed ¼ cup of spinach and 2 teaspoons of dried basil instead!
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Delicious and easy recipe.
Amazing recipe! Used it on whole wheat pasta, which my vegetarian daughter enjoyed, and topped salmon fillets baked in the oven with left over pesto. So delicious!
I had some leftover spinach I needed to use up and this was the perfect recipe. The pesto is excellent. I put it in anything that requires pesto and recently used it in lasagna in place of plain spinach. YUM!
Oishikatta desu! It was yummy! My boys loooved it! This will be a regular from now on. Thanks for sharing! Douro Arigatou Gozaimashita!
This was delicious and I had everything I needed so no trips to the store!
Just fabulous used it for pesto mayo on chicken bacon sandwhich.
Love this. ! I am not a huge pine nut fan, so I was really happy to try this . I especially love the brightness the lemon delivers.
Hi Lucy! So glad you enjoyed the pesto. Walnuts are a nice sub for pine nuts (I’ve used them to make traditional pesto too!) Appreciate you taking the time to circle back and leave a review ❤️
love this, spinach is a regular for me but getting tired of eating it raw and always love pesto, but have always just used basil, great idea, thank you!
Hi Sabrina! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and I hope you truly enjoy the spinach pesto! ☺️