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Kale Pesto

July 28, 2014 by GG 25 Comments

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Kale Pesto
Kale Pesto combines the trendy super food kale with toasted almonds and a hint of lemon to make an amazingly delicious, healthy, easy pesto recipe! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables......the possibilities are endless!

Kale Pesto combines the trendy super food kale with toasted almonds and a hint of lemon to make an amazingly delicious, healthy, easy pesto recipe! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables……the possibilities are endless! 

Kale Pesto combines the trendy super food kale with toasted almonds and a hint of lemon to make an amazingly delicious, healthy, easy pesto recipe! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables......the possibilities are endless! pesto | recipe | summer | Parmesan cheese | dinner | sauce | #swirlsofflavor

Kale Pesto Recipe

Inspired by my daughter-in-law Sydney, I created a kale pesto with almonds and a hint of lemon. Sydney made her own kale pesto with pasta for us for dinner this weekend and it was amazing! I’m so proud of her because when I first met Sydney she was cooking pasta in the microwave…… she’s certainly come a long way!

First Published: July 28, 2014… Last Updated: August 19, 2019

Kale, the trendy super food, combined with toasted almonds, the healthy nut, make for a fabulously delicious and amazingly healthy pesto! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables……the possibilities are endless! Refrigerate until ready to use. Make a double batch and freeze in ice cube trays for a taste of summer long after summer is gone! 

Typically, a traditionally pesto is made with pine nuts, but you’ll love our pesto without pine nuts for not one, but two, reasons! The toasted almonds add a fabulous flavor to our pesto and are also much less expensive than pine nuts. Now that’s a win-win in my book!

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I love storing my pesto in these pretty jelly jars. They make beautiful gifts that everyone will love getting! Just fill jars with your homemade pesto with almonds, tie a pretty ribbon around it and bundle it up with a copy of the recipe!

Once you make your pesto, simply toss with hot pasta and chopped tomatoes for an easy pasta dinner. Or you can make a Grilled Pesto Caprese Naan Pizza for a quick summertime pizza dinner. A pasta sald tossed in pesto is especially delicious when it’s our Pesto Florentine Campanelle Pasta.

Pesto FAQ’s

How long does homemade pesto last?

Homemade pesto will last for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover the pesto with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent it from oxidizing and changing color.

Does pesto freeze well?

Yes! Pesto does freeze well. I portion the pesto out into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, I transfer the pesto cubes to plastic freezer ziplock bags. Pesto can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

What goes well with pesto?

Pesto is delicious when mixed in with:

  • Chicken salad
  • Potato salad
  • Tuna salad
  • Pasta salad
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Rice
  • Risotto
  • Hot Vegetables

Ingredients you will need to make this recipe

  • olive oil
  • kale leaves
  • grated Parmesan
  • garlic cloves
  • lemon zest
  • kosher salt

Homemade Pesto Recipes

Pesto is one of my favorites recipes to make because it’s always so fresh tasting and brightens up anything you add it to. And I always love putting a spin on the classic basil pesto!Basil Pesto and Florentine Pesto

Traditional pesto made with fresh basil leaves! Basil Pesto is that go-to fresh pesto recipe you can always fall back on when you want a tried and true pesto flavor. I did change this up a bit and added toasted almonds as the nut and it makes a fabulously delicious Basil Pesto!

If you love pesto as much as I do then you’ll want to check out this twist on the tradition basil pesto. Pesto Florentine is made with tender baby spinach leaves, almonds, garlic and a hint of fresh lemon.

The delicate hint of mint in Fresh Mint Spring Pea Pesto is a welcome addition to this twist on pesto and a reminder of a season of new beginnings! pesto | spring pea | mint | fresh mint | pesto | Meatless monday | dinner | pasta

Fresh Mint Spring Pea Pesto is bursting with springtime flavors. Fresh peas and mint put a new springtime spin on the traditional pesto!

0 from 0 votes
Kale Pesto combines the trendy super food kale with toasted almonds and a hint of lemon to make an amazingly delicious, healthy, easy pesto recipe! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables......the possibilities are endless!
Print
Kale Pesto
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Kale Pesto combines the trendy super food kale with toasted almonds and a hint of lemon to make an amazingly delicious, healthy, easy pesto recipe! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with vegetables......the possibilities are endless! 

Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: kale pesto
Servings: 12
Calories: 243 kcal
Author: Gwynn Galvin
Ingredients
  • 1 cup olive oil preferably extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups packed, stems removed, kale leaves, 3 ounces
  • 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Pour olive oil into blender. Top with kale leaves, almonds, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and kosher salt. Puree until blended.
Recipe Notes

Makes 1 1/2 cups pesto.

Nutrition Facts
Kale Pesto
Amount Per Serving
Calories 243 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 230mg10%
Potassium 160mg5%
Carbohydrates 4g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 1709IU34%
Vitamin C 21mg25%
Calcium 99mg10%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Related Posts

  • Pesto Florentine Campanelle PastaPesto Florentine Campanelle Pasta
  • Grilled Tuscan Chicken & Kale PestoGrilled Tuscan Chicken & Kale Pesto
  • Pesto MinestronePesto Minestrone
  • Creamy Pesto RavioliCreamy Pesto Ravioli

Filed Under: 4th of July, Entertaining, Father's Day, Fish and Seafood, Labor Day, Meatless Monday, Memorial Day, Mother's Day, Pasta, Poultry, Side Dishes, Sunday Supper, Weeknight Dinner

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy

    August 16, 2014 at 12:24 am

    Thanks for coming and linking up at #The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST The Midnight Baker ! I hope to see you there!
    [email protected] http://www.bakeatmidnite.com

  2. GG

    August 16, 2014 at 7:23 am

    Happy to be a part of #The Weekend Social! See you next week!

  3. Belinda

    April 3, 2016 at 12:40 pm

    This looks/sounds delicious! As a pesto lover, I def. Had to take a screenshot!

  4. GG

    April 3, 2016 at 1:10 pm

    Thanks so much Belinda! I hope you enjoy the recipe. It’s one of my personal favorites!

  5. GG

    April 8, 2016 at 10:05 am

    Thanks Belinda! It’s one of my personal favorite recipes! Enjoy!

Trackbacks

  1. Grilled Tuscan Chicken & Kale Pesto | Swirls of Flavor says:
    July 30, 2014 at 7:24 am

    […] ← Kale Pesto […]

  2. Grilled Heirloom Cherry Tomato Pesto Pizza | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 12, 2014 at 8:47 am

    […] have a pizza full of nutrition and fresh summertime flavors! Grilled pizza crust topped with Kale Pesto , fresh mozzarella, gorgeous juicy heirloom tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic vinegar will delight […]

  3. Balsamic Portobellos Caprese | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 14, 2014 at 7:34 am

    […] salt 4 Portobello caps, about 9 oz. 4 slices fresh mozzarella, 4 oz. 1/4 cup Pesto Florentine , Kale Pesto  OR store bought prepared pesto 8 slices Campari tomatoes, 2 tomatoes fresh basil […]

  4. Creamy Pesto Potato Salad | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 14, 2014 at 11:42 am

    […] cut in 1-inch pieces, 6 cups 1/3 cup sour cream 1/4 cup store bought pesto, Pesto Florentine OR Kale Pesto 2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp. lemon zest 3/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper 1 […]

  5. Creamy Pesto Ravioli | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 14, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    […] wine 1 cup Alfredo sauce, from 1 jar (15 oz.) 1/4 cup store bought pesto, Pesto Florentine OR Kale Pesto 1 pkg. (13 oz.) frozen mini cheese ravioli, cooked and drained 2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh […]

  6. Pesto Florentine Dip | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 14, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    […] cup sour cream 1/4 cup+ 1 Tbs. Pesto Florentine, divided, Kale Pesto OR store bought prepared pesto 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan 1 tsp. lemon zest 1/4 tsp. cracked black […]

  7. Pesto Florentine Campanelle Pasta | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 14, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    […] grape, cherry and/or heirloom tomatoes 4 oz. bocconcini, halved, 1 cup 1/2 cup Pesto Florentine, Kale Pesto OR store bought prepared pesto 1/2 cup shredded […]

  8. White Bean & Escarole Soup | Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 18, 2014 at 8:19 am

    […] cups chicken broth* 1 can (15.5 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 6 Tbs. prepared pesto, Kale Pesto OR Pesto […]

  9. Best Ever Kale Recipes - Swirls of Flavor | Swirls of Flavor says:
    June 27, 2015 at 11:37 am

    […] the warm summer weather upon us and the abundance of fresh produce, it’s time to whip up some Kale Pesto, toss it on hot cooked pasta and let it melt into a fabulously delicious, yet oh so simple, […]

  10. Grilled Pesto Pizza - Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 24, 2015 at 9:22 am

    […] some sundried tomatoes too! Make your pizza extra special and make it with Swirls’ Kale Pesto or Pesto […]

  11. Cheesy Pesto Pull-Apart Bread - Swirls of Flavor says:
    November 21, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    […] *Prefer to make your own pesto? Try one of Swirls’ fabulously delicious homemade pestos! Click here for Pesto Florentine or Kale Pesto! […]

  12. Swirls of Flavor Top 10 Recipes - Swirls of Flavor says:
    January 1, 2016 at 11:09 am

    […] Kale Pesto […]

  13. Grilled Pesto Caprese Naan Pizza - Swirls of Flavor says:
    July 17, 2017 at 9:01 am

    […] Pizza! Literally, this can be on your table in a matter of minutes. If you have some homemade Kale Pesto or Pesto Florentine in your refrigerator this will pizza be ah-mazing! But store bought pesto, […]

  14. Baked Zucchini Fries - Swirls of Flavor says:
    January 5, 2018 at 11:18 am

    […] one, especially when served together with a Creamy Fresh Herb & Avocado Dip, Ranch Dip or even Pesto! And there’s no deep frying because these fries bake up crispy right in your oven. Seasoned […]

  15. January - What's in Season Guide - Around My Family Table says:
    January 9, 2018 at 7:00 am

    […] Smoothies Portuguese Kale & Potato Soup Kale Pesto Cheesy Bacon Kale Stuffed […]

  16. Caprese Skewers With Pesto - Swirls of Flavor says:
    September 3, 2018 at 11:35 am

    […] leaves and toasted almonds, is a fabulous twist on the old time favorite. Kale Pesto is one of my all time favorite recipes. Kale Pesto combines the trendy […]

  17. Basil Pesto Butter - Swirls of Flavor says:
    July 15, 2019 at 7:18 pm

    […] with toasted almonds, the healthy nut, make for a fabulously delicious and amazingly healthy Kale Pesto! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with […]

  18. Carrot Top Pesto - Swirls of Flavor says:
    August 28, 2019 at 10:28 pm

    […] with toasted almonds, the healthy nut, make for a fabulously delicious and amazingly healthy Kale Pesto! Toss it with your favorite pasta for Meatless Monday, top chicken or fish, serve with […]

  19. December - What's in Season - Around My Family Table says:
    November 23, 2019 at 11:43 pm

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  20. Green Tea Kale Smoothie - Swirls of Flavor says:
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Welcome to GG’s kitchen!

Hi there, I'm Gwynn, also known to many as GG, the creator of Swirls of Flavor. Welcome to my kitchen where delicious memories are made. My passion is bringing people together through food. I create easy, family friendly recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients that are perfect for a busy lifestyle. So come on in and gather round the table. It's time to Cook, Share and Savor the Moments together. Read more...

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