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Home » Family Style Dinners » Spinach Pesto Recipe

Spinach Pesto Recipe

March 31, 2020 by Kylie Lato Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This quick and easy spinach pesto recipe uses just 6 ingredients – fresh spinach, fresh garlic, Parmesan, walnuts, olive oil, and salt – and comes together in only a few minutes. It goes well with grilled chicken, al dente pasta or your favorite flatbread recipe!

Close up shot of a small mason jar filled with homemade spinach pesto

You’ll Love This

  • It’s a great blueprint for pesto with any of your favorite greens! We always have a bag of fresh spinach in the fridge for lasagna roll ups, pizza or spinach dip – so I usually make this pesto with any leftover spinach that is looking a little lackluster. However, it works great with arugula, kale or even swiss chard greens.
  • It’s super quick easy. A food processor or high spend blender is necessary for this recipe as it’s the best way to get all the ingredients finely minced and well combined. The help of either of these kitchen gadgets means you can have this pesto prepared in less than 5 minutes!
  • It tastes amazing. There are very few flavors I can think of that compare to that of a freshly made pesto – the earthy greens, the slightly spicy garlic, the nutty Parmesan, all whizzed together in a river of olive oil. It’s the easiest way to dress up any boring dinner and add tons of flavor with very little work!
Overhead shot of a Caprese flatbread pizza drizzled with homemade spinach pesto

Instructions

Add spinach, garlic, walnuts, and Parmesan to a food processor. 

Overhead shot of a food processor filled with ingredients to make spinach pesto

Process until minced, scraping the sides as needed. 

Overhead shot of a food processor with ingredients to make homemade spinach pesto

Slowly drizzle oil in while the food processor is on until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. I like to use the full cup of oil, but some might prefer just a 3/4 cup. Season to taste with salt.

Overhead shot of a food processor filled with homemade spinach pesto

Use prepared pesto to make Pesto & Tomato Pizza, Wonton Ravioli, and Caprese Flatbread!

Overhead shot of a little hand placing cheese onto a Caprese flatbread on a baking sheet

Tips

  • For this spinach pesto recipe, the spinach needs to be fresh – frozen spinach just won’t work. As frozen spinach thaws, it releases a lot of water which is not ideal for this type of recipe, since it is oil-based. Fresh spinach is also very tender so the food processor will have no problem mincing it up into very small pieces and creating a perfect sauce!
  • Adjust the garlic to suit your taste. You might be happy with the flavor of just one small clove. I like to add to 2 large cloves because I LOVE LOVE LOVE garlic. I also typically use this pesto when I’m cooking/baking so the flavor of the garlic mellows a bit once it’s cooked.
  • Don’t forget to season to taste with salt after blending the pesto together. It’s important to taste the pesto after it’s all minced up and combined and then season it with a bit of salt. The Parmesan cheese is going to add some saltiness, but with the simple ingredients in this pesto, it’s important to make sure that it’s well seasoned so the flavors have a chance to sing!
  • Add olive oil based on your personal texture preference. I prefer a nice loose pesto with lots of olive oil, so I had the whole cup. Some prefer a more paste-like consistency, so they might be happy with 3/4 of a cup or even less. I’d recommend starting with 3/4 of a cup and working your way up from there until the pesto reaches the desired consistency.
Overhead shot of a Caprese flatbread pizza drizzled with balsamic glaze

Flatbread Pizzas

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Close up shot of a small mason jar with a spoon scooping homemade spinach pesto
Print

Spinach Pesto Recipe

This quick and easy spinach pesto recipe uses just 6 ingredients – fresh spinach, fresh garlic, Parmesan, walnuts, olive oil, and salt – and comes together in only a few minutes. It goes well with grilled chicken, al dente pasta or your favorite flatbread recipe!

  • Author: Kylie Lato
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: Italian/American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 3/4 – 1 cup olive oil
  • Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Add spinach, garlic, walnuts, and Parmesan to a food processor. 
  2. Process until minced, scraping the sides as needed. 
  3. Slowly drizzle oil in while the food processor is on, until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. I like to use the full cup of oil, but some might prefer just 3/4 cup. 
  4. Season to taste with salt.
  5. Use prepared pesto to make Pesto & Tomato Pizza, Wonton Ravioli, and Caprese Flatbread!

Notes

For this spinach pesto recipe, the spinach needs to be fresh – frozen spinach just won’t work. As frozen spinach thaws, it releases a lot of water which is not ideal for this type of recipe, since it is oil-based. Fresh spinach is also very tender so the food processor will have no problem mincing it up into very small pieces and creating a perfect sauce!

Adjust the garlic to suit your taste. You might be happy with the flavor of just one small clove. I like to add to 2 large cloves because I LOVE LOVE LOVE garlic. I also typically use this pesto when I’m cooking/baking so the flavor of the garlic mellows a bit once it’s cooked.

Don’t forget to season to taste with salt after blending the pesto together. It’s important to taste the pesto after it’s all minced up and combined and then season it with a bit of salt. The Parmesan cheese is going to add some saltiness, but with the simple ingredients in this pesto, it’s important to make sure that it’s well seasoned so the flavors have a chance to sing!

Add olive oil based on your personal texture preference. I prefer a nice loose pesto with lots of olive oil, so I had the whole cup. Some prefer a more paste-like consistency, so they might be happy with 3/4 of a cup or even less. I’d recommend starting with 3/4 of a cup and working your way up from there until the pesto reaches the desired consistency.

Keywords: fresh pesto, garden pesto, vegetarian pesto, green pesto

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Family Style Dinners, Vegetarian

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HELLO FROM THE MIDWEST - I'm Kylie and as a busy mom, I understand how hard it can be to get a wholesome dinner on the table at the end of a long day. Here at Midwest Foodie I focus on sharing simple recipes that make it easy to feed your family real food. More about me →

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