Kale Pesto
Kale, kale, kale.
Okay we get it. It’s good for us. We should be eating more of it. It’s high in fiber, packed with vitamin A and C and has more calcium than a container of milk. It’s also, also, ZZzzzzzzzz.
Let’s just cut to the chase: An easy kale recipe to make THIS WEEK, even if you don’t think you like kale.
The basil, garlic and Parm, keep the pesto true to its name. I use it on everything: on top of cheese ravioli… as a spread for crusty French bread… drizzled into squash soup.
Here’s something else: it’s completely nut-free and gluten-free. There’s a reason why kale is the current media darling: It’s good for you. See that? I just hopped on the bandwagon. And, you know, I hate bandwagons.
Kale Pesto
prep: 15 minutes
makes about 2 cups
you’ll need:
½ cup sunflower seeds, shells removed
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 cups Lacinato (aka dinosaur) kale leaves, ribs removed and cut into ¼-inch ribbons
1 cup fresh basil
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
let’s get to it…
Toast the sunflower seeds in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the garlic to the skillet and toast over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until fragrant. Peel garlic and chop when cool.
Place sunflower seeds, garlic, kale, basil and cheese in a food processor. Pulse 15 to 20 times, using a rubber spatula to scrape sides.
Slowly add olive oil with processor running until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in an air-tight container.
make-ahead: Spoon the pesto into ice-cube trays; freeze. When frozen, pop out cubes and store in a gallon-size Ziploc® brand storage bag for up to one month.
How neat. I would’ve never thought to make pesto with kale. Thanks for sharing it on Tasty Tuesdays.
The best part was that it didn’t taste “kale-y”… so my picky eater ate it! Also, the seeds make it nut free. Double plus!
This sounds awesome! Do you think it would work with frozen kale leaves? We have a bunch of leftover from our garden and it’s just hanging out in the freezer…
Pinned 🙂
I think it would, but you’d need to make sure you squeezed as much of the moisture out of them as possible!
I want to thank you for coming to my party!
This Kale pesto is so amazing.. I would have never though of this.. I have done Basil Pesto..
I will for sure do this..
Maria
I was a little afraid that the taste would be too Kale-y… but it wasn’t! The garlic really came through nicely without overpowering everything.
Nobody ever really knows what to do with kale but everyone says to eat it! This sounds delicious and like something I could actually make…I emailed the recipe to myself for safe keeping! Thanks!
I even got my picky eater to try it on ravioli… it worked!