I hate to admit this but the idea for this recipe came from a robot. Yes my friendly keyword AI suggester threw Spinach Pesto at me one day.
My brain instantly went to frozen spinach.
I was like ‘why didn’t I think of that?’
Thank you friendly robot.
This has quickly become my new default pesto recipe. Especially while I’m waiting for my basil to grow.
Apart from how green and vibrant it tastes, I LOVE that it’s a no-messy-food-processor-to-clean-up situation.
Plus you don’t have to spend what feels like hours picking basil leaves from the stalks.
Just stir everything together and you have pesto-ey goodness at your fingertips (and taste buds).
Ingredients
- 250 g / 7 0z frozen spinach
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 50 g / 2 oz parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
PLUS Ingredient
- handful cashews or pinenuts
Instructions
- Place spinach in a heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and allow to stand for a few minutes while the spinach defrosts (this is cooking your spinach as well).
- Drain spinach and squeeze out the excess moisture. Place back in the bowl.
- Stir in the crushed garlic, parmesan and oil.
- Taste and season with a little salt, if needed (It may not because of the Parmesan)
- If using the plus ingredient, finely chop the nuts and stir through.
Variations & Substitutions
plan-B (pantry) – this is a pantry recipe!
herby – leafy herbs work well just finely chop and stir in or use your stick blender to do the hard work. Basil, parsley, mint and coriander leaf (cilantro) are all great. Stronger herbs like sage or oregano can be used sparingly – best if combined with parsley so the flavour isn’t too crazy.
nuts – pine nuts are number 1 choice. Almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, peanuts. I prefer unroasted so the nut flavour doesn’t dominate, but feel free to experiment with roasted nuts too.
dairy-free – replace parmesan with lots of nuts. For extra umami flavour using a teaspoon of miso paste or a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes means you won’t even notice the lack of cheese. A Squeeze of lemon can help compensate for the slight lactic acid that comes from the cheese.
nut-free – skip the plus ingredient extra nuts
different oil – avocado oil, macadamia oil or regular light flavoured olive oil all work well.
low FODMAP – skip the garlic and use a garlic flavoued oil.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
frozen spinach – keep it frozen it will last for months.
garlic – will keep for weeks (if not months) in the pantry. I keep mine in a brown paper bag to avoid sprouting.
parmesan – wrap in baking paper and store in the fridge in a sealed paper bag or airtight container. Will keep for months. Can be frozen if you’re going away.
olive oil – lasts for years in the pantry. But nicer when fresher so don’t go too crazy buying in bulk.
cashews or pinenuts – keep them in the pantry.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt and freshly ground black pepper! And a squeeze of lemon. Or more nuts or parmesan.
too dry – more extra virgin olive oil will help.
too watery – next time be firmer with your spinach squeezing. For now adding more nuts or parmesan will help thicken it up.
Prep Ahead
Yes! Just make as per the recipe. Either keep at room temperature if it’s only a few hours before serving or refrigerate if longer.
