Spinach & Walnut Pesto

Yesterday was one of those kitchen days that just didn’t go well. My muffins were weird, the crackers were soft, the slice was too melty and I realised too late that I had no rolled oats. Not to mention it was sunny and windy outside and for some reason I didn’t take note of this so left the 6 loads of dirty washing in the washing basket. Probably something to do with the fact that we had a kind of late night the night before…

So when all else fails, throw a bunch of greens into a food processor and make dip right? Yes.

Dip is always the answer.

Spinach & parsley form the base of the pesto type dip. As much as I love basil pesto I’ve never had much luck with basil in the garden, whereas parsley grows like a weed. And I think parsley is hugely underrated…it’s delicious!

Walnuts replace pine nuts, because why would you pay upwards of $6000/100g of teeny nuts that kind of taste weird. And walnuts are GREAT in this!

A little lemon juice, some parmesan, garlic, olive oil and salt & pepper seal the deal, blitz it together for a minute and there is it. The first kitchen success story of the day. And the exact moment Josh came out of hiding because the stomping around the kitchen had stopped and I was sitting there quietly dipping a weird attempt at homemade crackers into this dip and life was good again. Because green dip is everyone’s friend.

It’s also easy peasy to add a small amount of water to make it more sauce-like if you wanted to add it to pasta for a quick dinner. Or lunch on a Monday because again, the weekend took it’s toll and there is nothing in the fridge to take for lunch!

5 from 2 votes

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Spinach & Walnut Pesto

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

An easy peasy pesto type dip made with spinach, parsley & walnuts!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: New Zealand

Keyword: cheese board, healthy snack, spinach dip

Servings: 1 cup

Calories: 1115 kcal

Author: Laura

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup parsley leaves and stalks
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP-1/4 cup water to get it to desired consistency

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients except water into a food processor and blitz until combined.
2. Add as much water as necessary until it is the consistency you want - less water for a dip, more water for a sauce.
3. Store in the fridge for 5 days.

Nutrition Facts

Spinach & Walnut Pesto

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1115 Calories from Fat 963

% Daily Value*

Fat 107g165%

Saturated Fat 19g119%

Cholesterol 44mg15%

Sodium 848mg37%

Potassium 987mg28%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 31g62%

Vitamin A 11115IU222%

Vitamin C 97.5mg118%

Calcium 754mg75%

Iron 7.8mg43%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.