This is such a quick, easy & delicious way to get fresh greens in your belly, and it makes a delightful change from regular pesto. Whip up the green goodness while your pasta cooks, and you’ll have a super fast meal on the table in no time, full of flavour, full of goodness (so zesty delicious, I want to eat the pesto straight from the blender!)
Kale is a hardy vegetable that can be grown year round where we live, which makes it super simple to harvest a few leaves and throw ‘em in the blender. I always have edamame beans or green peas in the freezer too, which means there’s a plant protein element to this dish.
Lemon is the star of the show, bringing it all together with its tangy zesty, brightness. I’ll leave the pasta part up to you, so feel free to use spaghetti, penne, spirals…whatever you prefer. Any leftover pesto will last in the fridge for about a week (my crazy daughter likes to use it as a dip with corn chips?! I ain’t complaining, anything to get fresh greens in her tummy!)
2 cups torn kale leaves (remove tough stems)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
½ cup edamame beans (shelled) or green peas
1 tsp salt
8-10 green olives (possibly add more salt if omitting)
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
few grinds of black pepper
optional extras:
– good handful of almonds for protein & texture
– ½ cup fresh basil leaves
Gluten free pasta of choice
METHOD:
Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions.
If you’re using frozen edamame beans or frozen green peas, defrost them by popping them into a small bowl and pouring hot or warm water over the top. This will soften them, then you can drain them, ready to use (if you’re using edamame, remember we’re just using the little beans, not the tough outer pods!)
Put all pesto ingredients into a food processor and blitz until a thick green paste emerges. Start with the lesser amount of oil, but add extra if you feel you need it to get the blend going. Have a quick taste test and adjust seasoning.
Stir through the cooked pasta and serve. ( in the top photo, I topped mine with some hemp seeds, a sprinkle of chili flakes and a good crack of pepper)
Leftover pesto will last several days in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Leave a Reply