After a winter spent baking, the bright greens of spring and summer are so exciting! What a nice change from the beiges and browns of date and orange scones, apple crumble bars, and pumpkin banana muffins.
Homemade pesto is so delicious and it’s such a versatile condiment. This spinach pesto recipe is brilliant with this grilled bacon wrapped shrimp, roasted chicken, or whisked into this buttermilk quiche filling. It’s got such fresh flavor, and can be used in so many ways. We always run out quickly!
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💞Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Spinach is cheaper than basil.
✔️ It freezes well.
✔️ You can put that sh*t on everything.
📋Ingredients
- Spinach
- Arugula
- Slivered Almonds
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt
- Garlic
- Olive oil
Ingredient Notes
- Spinach—use any fresh spinach you have, however, homegrown or spinach from the farmers market tastes the best. I haven’t tested this recipe with frozen spinach.
- Slivered Almonds—I find slivered the fastest and easiest to toast but you can use any almonds you want.
- Parmesan Cheese—buy the real deal if you can afford it.
Ingredients Swaps
- Arugula—replace the arugula with spinach if you want.
- Almonds—you can use any nuts you like. Pine nuts are traditional in pesto, but cashews, or even sunflower seeds are also great.
- Parmesan Cheese—Grana Padano or Pecorino are great substitutes for real Parmesan, but cheese is expensive. Use whatever you have on hand or can afford.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1—preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter the almonds over the sheet. Cook in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Set aside.
STEP 2—wash, dry, and trim the spinach and arugula.
STEP 3—place the spinach, arugula, toasted almonds, Parmesan, salt, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.
STEP 4—pulse 5 to 10 times, or until the mixture is coarse and chunky.
STEP 6—with the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Once all of the oil is in, run the food processor 5 to 10 seconds longer. Adjust seasoning to taste before storing in clean glass jars.
🗣Expert Tips
1. Use a stand or immersion blender if you don’t own a food processor.
2. You don’t have to trim the stems from your spinach.
3. Portion spinach pesto into ice cube trays. Freeze and use as needed.
📝Recipe Notes
- Store the pesto in clean glass jars with tight fitting lids in the refrigerator.
- Spinach pesto will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
🙋♀️Recipe FAQ
Pine nuts are traditional, but not mandatory. Almonds, pecans, cashews, or even seeds like pumpkin or sunflower are great substitute. Lightly toast them in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, and cool before using.
Spinach, especially homegrown, has a beautiful light bitterness to begin with, however, in pesto, strong tasting olive oil is usually the culprit. If your pesto is too bitter for your taste, add more Parmesan or toasted nuts.
Most likely, dirt or sand from the leafy greens was not thoroughly washed off. There’s not much you can do to fix this once the pesto is made.
💃Use Spinach Pesto With These Recipes
Did you make this spinach pesto? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
Spinach Pesto With Arugula
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Rubber spatula
- Food processor or stand or immersion blender
- Glass jar(s) with tight-fitting lid(s) for storage
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almonds, raw, slivered
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 cups arugula
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon salt, coarse or flaky
- 1 clove garlic, small, peeled, end trimmed
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter the almonds on the sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. The almonds should be fragrant and golden. Set aside.
- While the nuts are toasting, wash and dry the spinach and arugula (use a salad spinner if you have one).
- Place the spinach, arugula, almonds, Parmesan, salt, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5 to 10 times, or until the mixture is coarse and chunky.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple of times. Once all of the oil is incorporated, run the food processor 5 to 10 seconds longer. Adjust the pesto to taste.
- Spoon the pesto into the jar(s). Store, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Store the pesto in clean glass jars with tight fitting lids in the refrigerator.
- Spinach pesto will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
Matt - Total Feasts says
I could see this coating some beautiful pasta or gnocchi, or as a spread on a panini. I always find pine nuts so expensive, so I like the use of almonds instead!
Sharon says
I could not agree more about the parm! It makes this (and every other recipe it touches) so fabulous. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Bernice Hill says
I love pesto! It always adds such a bright flavour wherever you add it. I’ve never made it with arugula and spinach before, and I bet it has a nice bitter bite. Delicious!!
[email protected] says
Like you, I’m a BIG fan of pesto. I’ve done plenty of variations over the years and I’m always looking forward to a new one. Last year I got a fair bit of arugula in my CSA and (sadly) I let a little bit of it go to waste. That stuff just doesn’t last long. So I have to say, I’m thrilled that I can use it in this fantastic recipe! Love that you used almonds too – they’ve got a great flavour that pairs so nicely with peppery arugula.
Nancy @instanomss says
I love that this pesto uses almonds instead of pine nuts! they’re so expensive nowadays!! now I know what to do with leftover spinach!!
Julia says
What a fantastic combination for pesto. Fresh pesto is the best and with these flavours, I bet it was delicious. And I know what you mean about real parmesan vs the shaker stuff. There is zero comparison for sure. Thankfully, ours isn’t quite as pricey here as back home. As much as I miss Newfoundland, i don’t miss the food costs…lol! Looks fantastic!
Cynthia @ Cynful Kitchen says
Ooh, I love the idea of adding spinach to pesto. I haven’t tried. It’d be a sneaky way to add vegetables to dishes without the kids knowing.
Terri says
I never would have thought to make pesto from spinach – so healthy and so smart! And I love that you’ve given all those ideas on how to use it!