Kale Pesto with Walnuts Recipe

Kale Pesto with Walnuts Recipe

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: basil kale pesto, kale pesto, kale pesto recipe, kale pesto with walnuts

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 177kcal

This basil kale pesto with walnuts is an easy sauce recipe that will add extra healthy greens and lots of flavor to any dish from pasta to soups.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup chopped walnuts
4-5 cups kale roughly chopped
1 cup fresh basil lightly packed
1-2 cloves garlic depending upon your taste
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch kosher salt

Instructions

Roughly chop the kale. Use a box grater to grate the cheese.
Place the walnuts in a small skillet over medium heat and toast gently until fragrant.
At this point, you can add the kale to a large skillet over medium heat and quickly wilt it. You could also make the pesto with raw kale. If you choose to cook it, once it's done, wrap it in a kitchen towel and wring out the water.
Add the kale, toasted walnuts, basil, and parmesan to a food processor with a pinch of kosher salt. Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic directly into the food processor. Turn the food processor on and begin to drizzle the olive oil into the mixture and blend until you reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Notes

Heat from the blade of the food processor can discolor the basil and kale in your pesto so don't leave it running too long.
Pesto made with raw kale can be a little bitter, and walnuts will increase this factor, so consider cooking the kale for a couple of minutes to avoid that.
Kale walnut pesto can be frozen for up to 6 months. Freeze in ice cube trays for small servings that you can easily pop into sauces or soups.

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Nutrition