This kale and walnut pesto is an absolutely perfect way to use up a surplus supply of kale this summer. If you follow me on instagram (you can follow here), you will possibly have noticed me doing a bit of garden-perving whilst in San Diego a couple of months ago. I was eyeing off some giant tree-like structures of kale. As soon as we returned from vacation I got into the garden and got planting, and from just three plants, that all grew ginormous, I have had kale on tap for about 3 months.
Recently the plants went into overdrive, and I have SO MUCH to use up. There’s only so many smoothies a girl can have in one week, so I decided to whip up a huge batch of kale and walnut pesto to preserve the green goodness.
I love this stuff, and it stores well in the freezer if you don’t manage to use it all up straight away.
What do you do with kale and walnut pesto?
Ok so here is a list of things I have done so far, and a couple of dishes I plan on trying out:
- Put it on pizza. I made a pizza, popped on some tomato sauce, some sliced heirloom tomatoes and a couple big dollops of kale and walnut pesto and: yum;
- Plop a big dollop on some salmon and veg, wrap it in foil and cook it up (for specifics, use this recipe but instead of the salsa verde, use an equal amount of kale and walnut pesto);
- Cook up a big pot of fresh pappardelle pasta, once ready add some kale pesto and some steamed asparagus;
- Add a dollop to some hummus, give it a stir and pop on some fresh bread or crackers
What would you do with kale and walnut pesto? I would love to hear of any yummy creations you come up with, so be sure to leave a comment here or tag me on instagram.
- 2 cups torn kale stems removed
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Pop everything except the olive oil into the food processor and pulse until blended, you will probably need to stop and scrap the sides down a couple of times
- Once the mixture starts coming together, slowly drizzle the olive oil in through the top until the pesto becomes almost creamy and reaches the desired consistency (see notes)
For consistency this is up to you: I like mine a little bit chunky so I don't blend for too long. If you like a creamier pesto then keep blending until it gets there.
Amanda says
Great twist on pesto! I love the idea of putting it on top of salmon. Delicious. I bet it would be great dolloped over burrata for an appetizer.
Donna1 says
Ooh yum, thats sounds food too!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love making kale pesto. It’s a nice easy way to get some etxra greens in our diets.
Donna1 says
I know right! I know I can always sneak it into a smoothie for the kids, but it’s nice having them gladly eat it for dinner with their salmon 🙂
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Love this! Love the added sunflower seeds, too! I’ve never thought to freeze pesto — not sure why not?? This looks fabulous, and yes, so many great ways to use it!
Donna1 says
Oh thank you Patricia! Yes, I have been using it in everything lately 🙂
Steph @Steph in Thyme says
Thank you for the inspiration! This recipe will certainly get me out of my pesto rut!!
Donna1 says
Haha very welcome 🙂
Jessica {Swanky Recipes} says
Wow, what a delicious recipe! I’d lot to have a surplus of kale growing but I just can’t keep anything alive because of scorching sun between 2-7 in nola. I will def be trying this recipe!
Donna1 says
Oh I know how you feel Jessica – in our last house I was the same. This new place has a patch which tends to have some shade during the hottest part of the day, so it is the first time I have had success growing much at all!