Skip to main content

Spinach / Avocado Pesto


Garlicky, creamy goodness.

There was a time when pesto required the availability of fresh basil. When making it involved purchasing expensive pine nuts (or cheating with walnuts). When eating it involved the consumption of much olive oil. I dreamed a dream that pesto might be healthier, and cheaper, and maybe even creamy like the pesto at Nib without adding gobs of heavy cream.

 That dream came true when my friend Cassadie mentioned avocado pesto on her brilliant blog. I decided to try this recipe from Perry's Plate, and I actually still follow it in its original form except that I add more garlic, because I add more garlic to almost everything.

 The avocado and yogurt make it creamy without being heavy. And it has a ton of spinach in it, so I don't even have to serve a vegetable with it. Although, in the summer, it's really delicious with sugar snap peas mixed in.

 All of the green in this recipe is spinach. I have tried it with a mixture of spinach and basil, in that short time span between when I plant basil in my garden and when some basil-hungry critter uproots and eats the entire plant. It's good, if you happen to have basil around, but it's creamier with spinach alone because of the way it melts down when cooked.

 This recipe is super easy with an immersion blender.
Before blending: An unappetizing watery mush with yogurt and avocado plopped on top.

After blending: Much better.
The Recipe:
16 oz pasta (I use whole wheat)
1 tb olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
salt to taste
12 oz spinach
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • Start cooking the pasta.
  • In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute the garlic in olive oil for about a minute.
  • Add all of the spinach and a generous pinch of salt, and cook until spinach is very wilted.
  • Turn off heat and add yogurt, avocado, and 3 tb pasta water.
  • Blend with an immersion blender while noting how awesome immersion blenders are. (Or, messily dump it all into a blender, blend, and pour it back into the pot, while wishing you had an immersion blender.)
  • Stir in the cheese and season to taste.
  • Add your cooked pasta and garnish with more cheese.

 The Verdict:
Overall grade: A
Overall reason: Pesto without the guilt!
Time to prepare: 20 minutes
Husband quote: Can I have more???
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.
2 comments
Read more

Pickled radishes

I made those! When the CSA box hands you radishes, you eat one. Then you try to give the rest to the neighbors. Then, left with no other option, you pickle them. Then you discover that the pickled radishes are really good. I followed  this super-simple method from My Korean Kitchen . I picked it because it had good reviews on Pinterest, but mostly because it was easy, and I wasn't willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort to these things that none of us really liked. But it turns out that they are delicious.  As is clear from the original recipe, these are good with Korean food. They are also good on Vietnamese rice bowls. And they are PERFECT on salad with hard boiled egg and honey-mustard dressing. And the toddler ate half of them in one sitting, just as a snack. We might actually need to buy more radishes. The Recipe: 1 bunch radishes 1 c water 1 c sugar 1 c white vinegar Pinch of salt Thinly slice the radish bulbs and place them in gla...
1 comment
Read more

Spicy Tomato Jam

Little pot of bubbling goodness seeks lentil patties, sweet potato fries, or pretty much anything else. I recently made  this recipe  from Crumb Blog for lentil patties with tomato jam. The lentil patties were pretty good, but the tomato jam was really something to write home about. It's one of those foods that makes you feel warm, even when it's cold. It has just the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice. The mustard seeds are a must (haha, must ard seeds). Their crunch, and the little burst of toasty peppery flavor that follows, are amazing in contrast to the rest of the flavors. The next time you're tempted to put ketchup on something, consider this instead.  I have a little bit of this gold left over in the freezer. I'm thinking I may thin it out with vegetable broth and use it as a sauce for a stir-fry. Stay tuned for the results. The only change I made to this recipe was upping the amount of mustard seeds. I think 1 tsp is the perfect a...
1 comment
Read more