Leafy Greens Pesto (3 Ways)

Got extra greens? Make some Leafy Greens Pesto! Here are 3 recipes for carrot top, spinach, and watercress pesto (all in under 5 minutes!)

Despite my love/hate relationship with pesto, it’s my go-to sauce for just about everything (though Romesco is climbing in ranks lately). But with my baby plant garden finally thriving, I can’t quite bring myself to completely eradicate the basil in the name of pesto (anyone else emotionally vested in their plant babies? just me?)

So I set out to create a formula for pesto without basil, but with leafy greens! You can use virtually any leafy green you have on hand, but today I’m showing you how to make it with three: watercress, spinach, and carrot tops.

Ingredients to make pesto without basil

• Leafy Greens: You’ll need 2 cups leafy greens. This can be spinach, cress, kale, carrot tops – anything you have on hand!
• Nuts: Traditional pesto uses pine nuts, though you can change up this ingredient as well! Feel free to try ¼ cup of almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds (use the Vegetarian Flavor Bible for ideas on which nuts pair well with your leafy greens)!
• Parmesan: ½ cup of parmesan cheese brings savory flavor to your pesto. For strict vegetarians, look for a vegetarian-friendly brand (often at Whole Foods or health food stores).
• Garlic: 3 cloves of fresh garlic bring pungent flavor to your pesto.
• Salt and Pepper: These help to round out the flavors!
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil ties everything together. For the best pesto, use a good quality olive oil!

To make pesto with spinach, we’ll use almonds. To make pesto out of carrot top greens, use pine nuts. Finally, use walnuts if you’re making pesto with watercress!

How to make pesto

1. Blitz: Choose which type of pesto you’d like to make. Add all the ingredients listed under it to a food processor, along with parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the leaves are broken down.
2. Oil: Scrape down the sides of the food processor and put the lid back on. With the food processor running, slowly pour in olive oil until full incorporated.

You’d think these would lack flavor because they miss the basil, but they are actually so great. Like, so great. You can add a few leaves of basil if you really want a punch of flavor, but they hold their own quite well without it. So without further ado, basil-less recipes!

How to serve pesto

Pesto goes incredibly well with a wide variety of dishes! Try serving it:

• on a Caprese Panini
• with Shaved Asparagus Noodles
• in Spaghetti Squash Bowls
• or on a Pressed Eggplant Sandwich

PS: If you love pesto, you’ll also want to try this avocado pesto or this classic pesto!