Description
A vibrant and healthy Simple Super Greens Pesto Pasta recipe featuring a flavorful blend of spinach, kale, and basil combined with toasted nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil, tossed with perfectly cooked pasta for a quick and nutritious meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 ounces Dried Pasta (choose your favorite type)
Green Ingredients
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach (rinsed and dried thoroughly)
- 1 cup Chopped Kale (stems removed and leaves lightly massaged)
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves (leaves only, stems discarded)
Nuts & Aromatics
- 2 cloves Garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 1/4 cup Nuts (Pine Nuts or Walnuts; toasted lightly in a dry skillet)
Other Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (drizzled while blending for creaminess)
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (freshly grated for best results)
- Salt, to taste
- Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add 8 ounces of pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- Prepare Greens: Rinse and dry the spinach, basil, and kale thoroughly to remove any dirt or moisture that could affect the pesto’s texture.
- Toast Nuts: In a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the nuts for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and slightly golden, then remove from heat to cool.
- Chop Ingredients: In a food processor, combine the toasted nuts, garlic, spinach, kale, and basil leaves. Pulse several times until the mixture is finely chopped but not pureed.
- Add Olive Oil: With the food processor running, slowly pour in the extra-virgin olive oil to emulsify the mixture into a creamy pesto sauce.
- Incorporate Cheese: Add the grated Parmesan cheese to the processor and blend until fully incorporated into the pesto.
- Drain Pasta: Once cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot.
- Toss Pasta with Pesto: Pour the pesto over the drained pasta. Toss gently, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve your preferred sauce consistency.
- Season and Serve: Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- For a nuttier flavor, try using walnuts instead of pine nuts.
- Reserve pasta water is key for adjusting the pesto sauce consistency; add gradually to keep it creamy but not watery.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the best texture and flavor; pre-grated may be less smooth.
- Massage kale leaves before chopping to help soften their texture.
- This pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
