Spinach Basil Pesto

This Spinach Basil Pesto is the perfect condiment for your pasta, chicken, or seafood! It is creamy, flavorful, easy to prepare, and delicious on top of most dishes! Add a flavor boost to your meals with this homemade pesto that comes together in under 5 minutes!

Healthy Spinach Basil Pesto

Everyone needs to have a good pesto recipe in their back pocket, and this one is one of my favorites! This recipe is not only delicious and simple to make, but it also sneaks in some healthy greens by using a combination of basil and spinach. Basil pesto is great for nearly any dish, and is a great way to use up an overabundance of herbs. It also freezes well so make a bunch now while it’s plentiful and you can use fresh pesto in your dishes all year long!

Spinach Basil Pesto Ingredients

• Basil
• Baby Spinach
• Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• Pine Nuts (or nut-of choice)
• Garlic
• Salt + Pepper
• Olive oil

Can’t have nuts? Check this Nut-Free Pesto Recipe!

How to Clean Herbs

Herbs can be very dirty and gritty, whether coming from the supermarket, farmer’s market, or your backyard. The best way to clean herbs is to fill up a big bowl with clean, cool water. Dunk the herbs in the water and let all the dirt and grit sink to the bottom. Pick up the herbs and set aside. Empty the water, fill it back up and repeat until no sand or dirt remains at the bottom of the bowl.

Ways to Use Pesto

This bright pesto would be great with so many dishes! It is great with both chicken, turkey, and seafood. You can use pesto in pasta dishes, rice dishes, in a salad, as a dip or spread and served over grilled meat or veggies.

Check out these recipes using pesto:

• Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables
• Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
• Creamy Pesto Chicken “Pasta”
• Crock-Pot Pesto Chicken Salad

How to Freeze Pesto

Pesto freezes really well. You can freeze it in small jars for single serve portions. Small mason jars work well for this.

How to Prevent it from Turning Brown

Pesto turns brown when the fresh herbs oxidize by coming into prolonged contact with oxygen. It isn’t harmful to eat brown pesto, but it can have an off taste and it looks unpleasant. To prevent browning you can float some olive oil over the top of pesto in the container. Make sure to cover the pesto entirely. This creates an airtight seal and will prevent the pesto from turning brown immediately.

You can freeze for up to 3 months. The longer you freeze fresh herbs, the less potent they become. To defrost leave in the refrigerator overnight.

If you like this herb recipe, check out these others:

• How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the Freezer
• How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the Freezer
• Fresh Mint Tea
• Easy Cucumber Salad with Lots of Herbs!

Spinach Basil Pesto

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This Spinach Basil Pesto is the perfect condiment for your pasta, chicken, or seafood! It is creamy, flavorful, easy to prepare, and delicious on top of most dishes! Add a flavor boost to your meals with this homemade pesto that comes together in under 5 minutes!

• Author: Lexi Davidson
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: about 1 cup 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1 1/2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (see note)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (optional)
• Big pinch of salt and pepper
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1–2 tablespoons warm water

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil and water to a food processor or a high-speed blender. Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. If needed you can add in a tablespoon of hot water as needed to make a smooth pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Use immediately or store for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container.

Notes

You can substitute the pine nuts for another nut like slivered almonds or cashews.

Can’t have nuts? Check out this Nut-Free Pesto Recipe.

Recipe originally published in 2013, and republished with new photographs in 2020.

Nutrition

• Calories: 135
• Sugar: 1g
• Sodium: 12mg
• Fat: 11g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 6.7g
• Fiber: 0.9g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 0mg