This Kale Pesto is a winner. Its bright flavor combination of kale, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and a few other gems lends itself beautifully to pasta, grilled meats or fish, sandwiches or even baked casseroles. It is my favorite way to eat kale. And the best part is that it can be made in advance. Give it a try...I know you will love it.
Ingredients for Kale Pesto:
makes about 1 quart
10 ounces kale, torn into pieces
1 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 bunch basil
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon course pepper
Time saving Tip: This pesto sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer.
Let's see what we need.
Now let's make the Kale Pesto.
With the help of my favorite kitchen scale I was able to determine how much kale was 10 ounces. Click HERE to learn more about the Oxo Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale.
Remove as much of the tough stems from the kale as possible.
Starting with about three handfuls of kale, pulse until coarsely chopped. Continue adding additional handfuls of kale until all of the kale has been added. Then add the garlic and pulse a few times. Click HERE if you are interested in learning more about my Cuisinart 14-cup Food Processor.
Add the basil and pepper and pulse a few more times. Then with processor running slowing add the olive oil and lemon juice.
Once the olive oil and lemon juiced have been incorporated into the kale micture add the cheese and pulse a few times. Finally, add the pine nuts and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Taste and then season with salt.
Yay! It's ready! This delicious Kale Pesto can be eaten right away or stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer. I have a bunch of these plastic containers in all sizes to freeze extra sauces. Click HERE if you would like information on them.
Enjoy!