Faux Pesto

Vegan Inspiration: This is it! A garden full of spinach, and now I know what to do with it… yes! I used 2 cups of giant spinach leaves from my garden, 1 handful of basil from the garden, 1/2 cup of pine nuts, 1 clove of garlic, 1 T lemon juice, 1/4 c olive oil and 1 heaping tsp of kosher salt – no parm! I also added one green onion top as it came in with me from the garden – on hot pasta – this was AMAZING. Thank you for the inspiration!

This is a good pesto for all year. I have used spinach before but there is a bitter aftertaste. The changes I made to make this pesto exceptional was to add some feta cheese about 1/4 cup and I used fresh lemon juice. Also I toasted the pecans with a little butter and salt on top of the stove quick and easy. I believe these steps made all the difference in the world!

This is wonderful, the only difference is I toasted the pcans and added a little more lemon.

I’d like to try this tonight,,, Can you do this recipe without the pecans? Will it change the flavour of the sauce dramatically? Just put it together!!! Added an extra garlic clove for fun, and WOW! Its awesome! Thanks!!

I’m allergic to basil, so I’ve been looking for a pesto alternative for awhile now. This was absolutely amazing!

Loved it! Made as written. I think next time I’ll add some fresh red peppers to give it some zing. I also hate overwhelming basil and dislike pine nuts, so this was PERFECT.

This is good and easy to make. I’ve used it in the “White Bean Breakfast” on this site, as well as for pesto mayo. Very versatile.

Fast, easy, and tasty. Even though I put in a bit too much garlic, my kids still liked it! We will be using this again.

I followed all the directions/ingredients, except I only had almonds on hand. Still turned out great, and super easy 🙂

I’m the author of the recipe to answer some questions…You do not need a full 1/2 cup of EVOO…use to your desired consistency. I use shredded parm (either fresh shredded or pre-shredded) not the sprinkle stuff in the can. Lastly, salt and pepper are both to taste. I use a Sea Salt grinder and fresh ground black pepper. You can also freeze in a ice cube tray for later use. Thanks for checking out my recipe:)

I’m the author of the recipe to answer some questions…You do not need a full 1/2 cup of EVOO…use to your desired consistency. I use shredded parm (either fresh shredded or pre-shredded) not the sprinkle stuff in the can. Lastly, salt and pepper are both to taste. I use a Sea Salt grinder and fresh ground black pepper. You can also freeze in a ice cube tray for later use. Thanks for checking out my recipe:)

Delicious! Great way to use up fresh spinach. I used walnuts instead of pecans (since I had those on hand) and it was great!

Had a good flavor but was difficult to make since my food processor is small and I couldn’t stream in the oil until I transferred it to a blender. Probably won’t make again because of that but it was tasty.

Excellent recipe when you need to be a little creative. I live in a place where pine nuts and basil are hard to come by. Using spinach leaves and pecans worked perfectly for me! Thanks!

Great recipe! Mild, yet fairly flavorful. Very easy to make. I minced the garlic before adding to the food processor for fear of getting a chunk of raw garlic in the sauce. Thanks for posting!

I was looking for something to do with my extra fresh spinach, this was just the thing.

Very nice, mild pesto. I really enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure if the recipe required fresh parmesan or if the pre-grated stuff in a shaker can was okay. I used the pre-grated stuff and found I had to add a little water and let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes to get rid of the crunchy texture of the cheese. I expect that wouldn’t be necessary with the fresh cheese.

I thought this was great and my wife who says she does not like Pesto sauce said she loved it. I made it exactly as stated only I used frozen spinich and soy nuts because of nut allergies. So easy, So quick, delicious.

At first I was a little bit skeptical about pesto without basil leaves. But this was a pleasant surprise! It tasted great! And it’s a lot cheaper than buying basil! I would recommend adding a little oregano too.

Great recipe! Very flavorful. I used pine nuts instead of pecans, and I’m glad I did. Also I chopped the spinach by hand instead of using the food processor, and mixed everything else in separately, though I doubt that it made a difference. My only tip would be to use a little less olive oil. I did, and I think it gave it a less slimy texture.