Epic Easy Walnut Kale Pesto Recipe that is ready in 15 minutes time. Perfect as dip, spread or added in salads and pasta. This wonderful Mediterranean-style kale pesto recipe is light, gut-friendly and vegan too.
Whenever kale is in season in Europe, I make sure to include this mighty vegetable into our family’s meals.This epic kale pesto recipe is a family favorite, especially in spring/fall time. Ever since giving birth with C-section, my gut has become exceptionally sensitive, thus I am careful with the types of foods I eat. What I love about this kale pesto is that the cooking method (blanching the leaves) is easier for digestion and in additions takes away from the slightly bitter, preppy taste of raw kale.
Blanching inevitably diminishes some of kale’s nutrients, so if you prefer to keep all the goodies in, this recipe can easily be made with raw kale leaves as well. Simply omit the blanching step and place washed, raw kale leaves in food processor with remaining ingredients.
EPIC KALE PESTO INGREDIENTS:
Making this kale pesto is easy – we need only a few ingredients:
- Fresh Kale Leaves – if stems feel to rough (as they are to me), save them for another meal (like a soup)
- Walnuts – walnuts add a gentle nutty flavor to the kale pesto. If preferred, switch to cashews (or cashew butter), almonds or even tahini paste.
- Olive oil – preferably extra virgin, adding oil to the pesto homogenizes it’s structure and creates creaminess.
- Green olives – the pitted green olives we usually get (at Lidl or the local Greek market) are salted, which means no additional salt is needed.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice goes well in any pesto, don’t you think?
- Garlic – for sharper flavor, can omit if served to kids.
- Salt – optional
HOW TO MAKE KALE PESTO
Wash kale leaves and remove stems. Blanch in boiling water for a few minutes and let cool completely.
Then add blanched kale leaves to a food processor, add walnuts, olive oil and remaining ingredients. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Test taste and add more of the ingredients if needed. There’s always room for experimentation.
If you add this vegan kale pesto to pasta, make sure to double or even triple the ingredients depending on the amount of pasta used.
MORE EUROPEAN RECIPES:
- Easy Blueberry Lemon Waffles Recipe
- German applesauce cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies (Apfelmus-Kekse)
- One pot chicken in parsley sauce (30 minutes)
- Easy Cheese Bread (Georgian Khachapuri) -VIDEO
- Mediterranean Chickpea salad with arugula, tomatoes and lime
Epic Walnut Kale Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups kale (1 bunch), stems removed
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup green olives, pitted
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, approx. ½ regular
- 1-3 cloves garlic, peeled
- Pinch of salt, optional
- Water for boiling
Instructions
- Wash kale leaves under cold water. Remove stems and add to boiling water. Let kale leaves blanch for 5-10 min, then remove from water and strain well. Leave to cool completely.
- Then, place blanched kale leaves, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, green olives and garlic in food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Transfer to serving dish of choice.
- Spread over slice of dark bread or add to pasta and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This post may contain affiliate links. See full disclosure here.
