Kale pesto is heartier than the more familiar basil pesto. It’s delicious tossed with our Potato Gnocchi recipe, but it’s also appealing in many other dishes. Try tossing it with roasted diced butternut squash or spreading it on chicken breasts before roasting. The possibilities are endless wherever pesto is used.
Can be refrigerated in tightly covered container for a couple of days or frozen for up to a month.
Double up the recipe and freeze in batches so you’ll have a small container ready in an instant for any dish.
Kale and Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (225 g) lacinato or curly leaf kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups/1 L loosely packed)
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) chopped raw almonds or walnuts, lightly toasted
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- Finely grated zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories150
- protein5g
- fat13g
- saturated fat3g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates6g
- sugars1g
- fibre2g
- sodium90mg
Directions
01
Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add kale and briefly blanch for less than a minute. Drain and quickly plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well and tightly wrap in dry kitchen towel. Squeeze thoroughly to remove excess moisture.
02
Place kale in food processor. Add nuts, garlic, salt, and lemon zest and juice. Whirl until blended but still chunky. Whirl in Parmesan until blended. Then gradually whirl in olive oil until as smooth as you like.
Irene McGuinness is a writer, recipe developer, food stylist for numerous magazines and corporations, and alumna of the Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University
