Pasta Vegetarian

Kale pesto with pecans and pine nuts

January 4, 2019
Grünkohlpesto mit Pekannüssen auf Teller von oben

Welcome 2019! Oh, I how love the first days of January, when everything is filled with good intentions, plans and “everything will be different”- dreams. It literally feels like you had an empty, white sheet of paper in front of you, waiting to be filled with ideas, plans and goals. The intention to pay more attention to yourself is by far the most popular amongst them. Nutrition is, of course, an elementary part of it — if I take good care of myself, I will certainly not fill my body with junk. So, in order to start as healthy as possible, we kick off 2019 with the most winterly of all vegetables: kale.

Pasta with kale pesto on spoon

Kale – the healing power vegetable in winter

Kale is incredibly healthy. It is antioxadative effective, supplier of iron, calcium, vitamin C and K and is one of the highly basic foods. In addition it provides high quality protein, so it can absolutely be recommended as a great alternative to animal protein. Due to its high nutrient density, it is one of the healthiest winter vegetables. It contains three times as much protein and four times as much iron as other cabbage types.

To create something that is a bit more exciting than a smoothie, I have a great recipe for you today: kale pesto, refined with pecans and pine nuts. Kale pesto visually does not really differ from usual pesto. However, it is slightly more crisp and fresher in taste. The pecans and the pine nuts ensure a great creamy consistency too. You can, of course, replace them with cashew kernels or other types of nuts at your discretion.

Pasta with kale pesto on plate
Pasta with kale pesto on spoon, recipe picture

Kale pesto with pecans and pine nuts

Kale pesto is very healthy and versatile. Together with pasta, meat, fish or grilled vegetables, it is a great addition especially in the cold winter months!
5 from 1 vote
Print / Drucken Pin
Vorbereitung / Prep: 10 minutes
Kochen / Cooking: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Portionen / Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Patricia Spieker

Zutaten / Ingredients

  • 80 g kale
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 200 ml olive oil
  • 1 lime
  • 35 g Parmesan cheese grated
  • 15 g pecans
  • 15 g pine nuts
  • salt, pepper

Anleitung / Instructions

  • First, we need to clean the kale thoroughly: cut off the green leaves from the hard stems, also remove yellow leaves. Wash with cold water and cut into narrow strips with a sharp knife.
  • Mix the sliced kale together with the olive oil with the help of a strong mixer (or food processor) until a pesto-like consistency is obtained. You may need to stir again and again with a spoon during mixing in order to get a creamy pesto.
  • Gradually add the garlic cloves, the juice of the lime, the Parmesan cheese, the pecans and the pine nuts.
  • Season well with salt and pepper to taste. If necessary, add a bit of olive oil or Parmesan cheese.

    Leave a Reply

    Recipe Rating