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5 stars (3 reviews)
5 minutes mins
Posted by Sommer Collier on Dec 28, 2015 (last updated Sep 23, 2020)
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How To Make Pesto: Easy 5-Ingredient Kale Pesto Recipe, a quick 5 Minute Fix perfect to serve as a healthy dip or tossed with pasta for a simple meal!
Happy New Year!!
I realize the big day is still a couple of days away, and you may have plans to pack in all your favorite naughty foods before the year officially ends.
However, I wanted to throw out my very first healthy recipe for 2016 so you have something to look forward to, other than the hope of skinny legs by spring.
Of all the pesto recipes I’ve made over the years, this simple 5-Ingredient Kale Pesto Recipe is high on the list. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals from fresh green kale, along with healthy fats. That makes this pesto decadent enough to taste like a comfort food, yet fabulousfor a low carb or vegetarian diet.
In fact, you could even omit the parmesan cheese, substituting chopped cashews in its place, to make a “paleo” and “vegan” version of this kale pesto recipe!
That makes it 5-Ingredient, 5-Minute, and 5 Stars, in my opinion.
How To Make Pesto
- Simply place chopped kale, chopped walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor.
- Pulse to combine.
- Then salt and pepper to taste.
Voila!
Best Kale Pesto Recipe
You can use this kale pesto recipe as a party dip for New Year’s Eve, if you’re as excited about it as I am.
Or use it in the coming weeks as a spread forsandwiches, tossed into salads, and even tossed with hot whole grain (or gluten free) pasta for a quick healthy meal.
If you were ever going to get your kids to enjoy kale, this is the way to do it.
See? There is something healthy that you can look forward to in 2016.
Cleaning up your diet won’t be so bad this month… I’m on your side. We’llbe offering up tasty guilt-free dishes all month.
Plus, a few naughty ones for you rebels and super bowl party planners. *wink*
Check out our recipe card below!
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5 stars (3 reviews)
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Kale Pesto Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Easy 5-Ingredient 5-Minute Kale Pesto Recipe! Fresh, healthy, and packed with flavor. Use this homemade pesto recipe as a dip, spread, or toss it with pasta.
Servings: 10
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a large food processor. Pulse to fully combine.
If the mixture is clumpy, add 2-4 tablespoons of water and pulse again. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 171mg, Potassium: 179mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2755IU, Vitamin C: 32.4mg, Calcium: 168mg, Iron: 0.8mg
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Sommer Collier
Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
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5 Minute Fix Condiments Gluten Free Healthy Recipes How To Mediterranean Diet Plant-Based Vegetarian Whole FoodsCheese garlic kale parmesan walnuts
28 comments Leave a comment »
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28 comments on “Kale Pesto Recipe”
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Loretta Parsons @Kitchen Folks — Reply
Hey Sommer, such a great recipe you had shared. Sometimes i thought why i couldn’t be so creative while cooking. :( Thanks for sharing this.The kale pesto is looking perfect.your tips will help me to make that correctly.keep posting this type of recipes. :)
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Barbara Alfeo — Reply
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
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Sommer — Reply
Hi Barbara, Absolutely! :)
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Stephanie — Reply
Hi, I was wondering if you need to massage the kale beforehand (to remove bitterness)? I’ve never worked with kale, but I’ve heard that that’s a step a lot of people take. Thanks
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Sommer — Reply
Hi Stephanie!
I do massage kale for salads, to soften the texture, but in this case its unnecessary.
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Kathie — Reply
I grew up with homemade basil pesto. Our kale is growing amazing trying to find a way to preserve some. Wondering if you can water bath can the Kale Pesto?
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Karly — Reply
I made this recipe and I can’t stop eating it!!! That being said, any idea of the the calories and nutrition facts are???
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Sommer — Reply
Hey Karly! We don’t provide nutritional facts because most of the tools we’ve found vary so much, it would be hard to give you honest information. However to give you a rough estimate, the “My Fitness Pal” app says that Homemade Kale Pesto is 40 calories and 3 grams fat per tablespoon.
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Rachel — Reply
This was very good! I made some Garlic/parmesian made a sauce in the pan with reg. almond milk then added a large spoon full of pesto. I then poured that over my spiralized medley of Zucchini, yellow squash and butternut noodle squash , and boy was that delicious!
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Leah — Reply
Any substitution ideas for the walnuts? We have a peanut/tree nut allergy in our family.
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Kathy — Reply
Pine nuts are a traditional ingredient in pesto. I have just read an article about sunflower seeds that mentioned them being used in pesto as an inexpensive substitute for pine nuts.
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Angie | Big Bear's Wife — Reply
ooo This is fantastic! I couldn’t leave out that parmesan cheese though! haha I would miss it too much! can’t wait to try this over some fresh pasta!
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Megan {Country Cleaver} — Reply
I’ve never made kale pesto before – and I forget how versatile it is!
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Gaby Dalkin — Reply
kale pesto is the best! Love it as a way to sneak kale into lunches and dinners
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Kevin @ Closet Cooking — Reply
So simple, healthy and tasty!
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alison @ Ingredients, Inc. — Reply
totally making this!!
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Maria — Reply
Great way to sneak in some healthy greens!
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Julie @ Running in a Skirt — Reply
Yum! This looks amazing! I feel like I have superpowers when I eat kale :-))
