EASY Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce
Easy Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce is loaded with fresh healthy greens like kale, spinach, and basil and blended with a few more staple ingredients to give you a creamy sauce that can top almost anything! And the flavor is fantastic! This is a no-cook, quick, and easy pesto sauce with a healthy twist!
I wanted to make some pesto sauce, yes – pesto sauce is not always for summer! We love it all year round!
When I realized I didn’t have enough basil, and while everything was already sitting in my blender ready to go, I realized I had to think out of the box and improvise.
So, I added in a handful of fresh baby spinach and fresh baby kale (which I had on hand- thank goodness!) to make up for the difference. I had no clue if it would work or turn out to be a mistake in the sauce. But, it worked!
No need to embellish with any nuts with this recipe. After one taste, I knew it was good to go!
With freezing temperatures lately, you can understand why it may be difficult to find fresh basil. In fact, you may have to hunt for it, literally walking through 3 to 4 markets before you can find some.
And if you’re lucky, you might come across a sad, wilting little basil plant that doesn’t even amount to filling one cup. Which is how I came to making this totally new pesto sauce with kale and spinach.
It turned out great! And we LOVE it!
To my surprise, this kale and spinach pesto sauce turned out better than I expected. In fact, this concoction turned out to be very similar to our Spinach and Kale Bites we frequently make.
The kale in this pesto sauce is once again completely hidden! No one ever noticed and they too loved the taste! This is a healthy upgrade to the simple basil pesto sauce we usually make during the summer.
We love it best served with spaghetti (as in the photo). But what if you don’t want carbs?
How about a clever alternative for spaghetti? You bet! Zucchini noodles!!
I quickly made some spiralized zucchini noodles and added some kale and spinach pesto sauce to it and it tasted AMAZING! As you already may know, zucchini noodles have fewer calories, more nutrients, and are gluten-free.
Serve this Easy Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce with your favorite pasta, risotto, or zucchini noodles. Or use it as a condiment to your favorite appetizers. Maybe add some pesto to your grilled shrimps, chicken, or even tofu for some extra flavor!
ENJOY!
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More Tasty Ideas and Recipes!
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The Green Drink Spinach Smoothie
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Spinach and Kale Bites
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Spinach and Kale Quiche
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How to Make Spinach Pesto Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
EASY Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce
EASY Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce is loaded with fresh healthy greens ( kale, spinach, and basil) and blended with some garlic, grated Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil and the flavor is fantastic! Use it as a condiment or with your favorite pasta or noodles.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Total Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (packed) basil
- 1 cup (packed) baby kale
- 1 cup (packed) baby spinach
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, and extra if needed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- In a blender or a food processor, add the olive oil, garlic, and fresh greens.
- Pulse or blend until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally with a spatula.
- Add in the grated cheese and cayenne pepper. Blend on low speed for a few seconds. Taste and add fresh black pepper and salt to taste.
- If the pesto is too thick, add more extra olive oil (drizzle slowly while it's on low speed) until you reach a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Pour into a mason jar or into an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Yields: about 2 cups
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Thanks for stopping by!
xo Anna and Liz
Welcome back!! It looks really delicious and would great on a day like today!! It's cold here and comfort food is on our menu later today too!! Pesto is really hard to find in our area too. Enjoy your Sunday!
I hear ya Mike! It's freezing cold and raining here. You too – enjoy the day!
Looks AMAZING!! Cant wait to try!!
thank you Nicole!! I think this will be the new pesto sauce in our house from now on. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
What a brilliant idea! Kudos to you for improvising and coming up with something so healthy and tasty.
It was out of desperation of " now what? " moment! Then it turned out pretty cool- so I decided to post it.
What a lovely pesto, seems so healthy and so tasty at the same time ๐
Thank you Lily and welcome to our blog! It's nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by.
What a great idea to use spinach and kale, which are both tasty and readily available! This looks so good- I'm always craving fresh "green" flavors. ๐
Thank you Betty – so are we! Thanks for stopping by!
love this nutrient-stuffed pesto!!
What a nice pesto and I like that the kale is hidden, too. That way I can slip it past hubby!
You bet Abbe ! I prefer not to tell them about the kale either. Enjoy !
Welcome back! I love how simple this is and am here to confirm that basil is very hard to find. I went to three stores before finding some at BJ's (like Costco and Sam's) for my tomato soup. This is so lovely and yes I want a spiralizer too! Yummy ๐
The spiralizer is so much fun and very easy to turn veggies into pretty noodles. You have to get one!
Thank you Tricia! It's good to be back!
Hi Liz and Anna, is it really cold in Charleston too? Well this recipe is certainly comfort food! I've got to try more kale recipes and I must certainly use my spriralizer more! Great recipe that is so healthy too!
Stay warm my friends,
Roz
Hi Roz! It's so cold in Charleston but even colder in NY and I pray for warmer weather for everyone!
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!