Parsley Spinach Pesto is super easy to make and can be used in numerous recipes including fish, pasta or just simply on toast.
With my parsley growing crazy in the garden I needed to come up with more recipes containing it.
This Mediterranean Lentil Salad is delicious, and uses some parsley, but definitely not the amount that is currently growing like a weed in our garden.
I also wanted to make a recipe that’s budget-friendly so I swapped out the traditional pine nuts for sunflower seeds.
And it turned out great!
Simple Ingredients to Make This Parsley Spinach Pesto
- fresh spinach
- fresh parsley
- minced garlic
- sunflower seeds
- scallions
- lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- salt
Tips for Making This Parsley Spinach Pesto
Feel free to change up the kind of nuts you use. Typically, pesto calls for pine nuts, however, I rarely buy them due to the cost.
So I substitute them for walnuts, pecans and cashews, or sunflower seeds like I did in this recipe.
Ideas for How to Use This Parsley Spinach Pesto Recipe
- Spread it on a toasted bagel or baguette.
- Stir it into your favorite whole grain pasta like in this Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake or One Pan Tuna Pesto Pasta recipe.
- Add it to fish for a unique dish (recipe coming soon!).
- Top your favorite pizza dough with the homemade pesto. I’m going to substitute it for the store-bought pesto soon that I used for this Simple Spinach Pesto Pizza recipe.
- Top your burgers with the pesto like with these Caprese Pesto Beef Sliders.
Dietitian’s Dish
When it comes to oils, I only purchase olive oil, canola oil and sesame oil. My go-to oils are olive or canola oil. They are both quite versatile, have a good amount of healthy fats and are easy to use. A smoke point is the temperature at which the oil begins to smoke and oxidize, leading to an undesirable burnt or bitter flavor.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Good for baking, stir-fry, has a medium-high smoke point
- Per 1 tablespoon: 120 calories, 14 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 g mono-unsaturated fat
Canola Oil
- Good for baking, stir-fry, has a medium-high smoke point
- Per 1 tablespoon: 120 calories, 14 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 8 g mono-unsaturated fat
Sesame Oil
- Used often in Asian dishes, has a medium smoke point
- Per 1 tablespoon: 130 calories, 14 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 6 g mono-unsaturated fat
Parsley Spinach Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 scallions
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor. Blend until well combined.
- Add the olive oil to the processor while mixing slowly until the pesto is smooth.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
