There’s a few ingredients that go into making a traditional pesto. The unfortunate part is that all of those ingredients are expensive. This spinach pesto recipe is a fun twist on pesto, and it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies. Click the Jump to Recipe button to go straight to the recipe card below.
Just a heads up, you’ll need a blender to make this recipe – we recommend the best blender for sauces here. When you use whole wheat pasta, you reach 22g of protein and 15g of fiber which is quite impressive! There’s also a substantial amount of iron, calcium, and potassium from the spinach. If you’re looking for a healthy meal to include in your weeknight meals, this will be a great addition!
Why Make this Spinach Pesto Recipe?
Traditional pesto is delicious. But there are many expensive ingredients like pine nuts, pecorino romano or parmesan, and basil, which can also get expensive. Some people sub out the pine nuts for things like sunflower seeds, which you can definitely do, but it adds a different nutty flavor. But I add spinach because it sneaks in more veggies into a homemade pesto recipe.
This easy spinach pesto recipe might become a staple in your house the next time you’re trying to use up a bag of spinach. It’s made with simple ingredients like fresh herbs, kosher salt, and splash of pasta water make this recipe come together in just a couple of minutes.
Why Make this Spinach Pesto Recipe?
Traditional pesto is delicious. But there are many expensive ingredients like pine nuts, pecorino romano or parmesan, and basil, which can also get expensive. Some people sub out the pine nuts for things like sunflower seeds, which you can definitely do, but it adds a different nutty flavor. But I add spinach because it sneaks in more veggies into a homemade pesto recipe.
This easy spinach pesto recipe might become a staple in your house the next time you’re trying to use up a bag of spinach. It’s made with simple ingredients like fresh herbs, kosher salt, and splash of pasta water make this recipe come together in just a couple of minutes.
Health Benefits of this Spinach Pesto Recipe
Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, especially for vitamins A and K, providing 16% and 120% of the Daily Values (DV) in a single cup, respectively. It’s also a good source of folate, iron, and magnesium. Spinach is loaded with all kinds of good nutrients like calcium and fiber.
Cashews on the other hand provide a creamy texture with great sources of healthy fats and protein. A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of cashews provides 157 calories, 12.4 grams of fat, 5.2 grams of protein, and 8.6 grams of carbohydrates. It also provides a good source of several minerals and vitamins, including magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese, zinc, iron, and vitamin K.
While some people view pasta as bad or unhealthy, we need carbohydrates to survive and pasta can be part of a balanced diet. If you’re gluten free, use a gluten free pasta instead. I like to use whole wheat pasta for the protein and fiber when I can, but grocery stores doesn’t always have it. So when you’re in a pinch, regular pasta will do the job. When you combine these ingredients together, they make an exceptionally high quality, healthy, and delicious spinach pesto.
For the nutrition of this recipe, you have 7g of healthy fats. This nutrition facts were generated with the addition of parmesan cheese, but if you don’t use that, there will be no cholesterol. When you use whole wheat pasta, you reach 22g of protein and 15g of fiber which is quite impressive! There’s also a substantial amount of iron, calcium, and potassium from the spinach. If you’re looking for a healthy meal to include in your weeknight meals, this will be a great addition!
Spinach Pesto Recipe Ingredient Spotlights
Lemon Juice – All good food has an element of acid in it. Lemon juice adds a bright flavor to the sauce.
Spinach – Spinach is an essential part of a healthy diet for folate, vitamins, and calcium
Basil – all good pesto recipes have basil in them. it’s an essential part for providing that characteristic herbacious flavor!
Cashew Cream – Cashew cream is a blend of cashews, water, and lemon juice that are a great addition to plant forward cooking
Ingredients Substitutions & Modifications
Whole Wheat Pasta – If you’re on a low-glycemic diet, sub out your regular pasta for whole wheat pasta. It has more fiber and protein that will help with glycemic response.
Cashew Cream – If you don’t have cashew cream, you can use ricotta cheese here and it will work just the same.
Roasted Garlic – If you don’t have roasted garlic, using raw garlic isn’t a great substitute. I would saute it in a pan while your pasta is cooking!
Easy Spinach Pesto Recipe
Easy Spinach Pesto Recipe for Pasta
Servings: 4
Calories: 353kcal
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 bunch of basil
- 1/2 cup cashew cream boiled and pureed cashews sub ricotta
- 2 cloves roasted garlic
- pinch of salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast or Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Box Pasta
- 1/2 cup Pasta cooking water
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Heat Pot on the Stove With Water
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Make your cashew cream. Sub for Ricotta cheese if you prefer
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Quick Way: Place cashew halves/pieces in a heat safe bowl. Cover with Boiling water. Let soak for 5 minutes or until the cashews are soft and plump. Drain the water, and pour cashews into a food processor or blender. Add the juice of one half a lemon and blend until smooth.
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Long Way: Let your cashews soak in the refrigerator overnight with room temperature water. Cashews should be soft and plump. Drain the water, and pour cashews into a food processor or blender. Add the juice of one half a lemon and blend until smooth.
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Start your pasta on the stove. Boil Water and add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes or follow package directions.
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In a blender, add your baby spinach, basil with the stems, cashew cream, and 2 cloves of roasted garlic. Add salt, pepper, and a bit of lemon juice
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Blend together on high speed until smooth and creamy!
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Taste and adjust as needed. For a milder flavor, use less basil or add more fresh spinach
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Drain your pasta water, reserve a little for the sauce (~1/2 cup of the water)
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Mix your sauce and your pasta over low heat together using tongs.
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Finish with nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese
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Serve and enjoy!
How do you know you Made it right?
For best results, you sauce should be creamy and have a vibrant green color. Your sauce should properly coat the pasta and give it a bright green color.
How to Store This Spinach Pesto Recipe
After you dress the pasta with the pesto, there’s a change you might have some leftover spinach pesto sauce. The best way to store it is an in airtight container. It should last for about 3 days in the refrigerator.
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