Last Updated on September 1, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Roasted Garlic Spinach Pesto
This spinach pesto is so delicious for use as pasta sauce, pizza base or as a delicious dip for toasted bread.
Classic pesto is made with basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.
Have you ever purchased basil to make pesto, but then something happens and you don’t have time to make it? Basil leaves really can’t last more than a day or two in the refrigerator before they start to turn black.
The Ingredients
I have done that so many times that now I have turned to spinach for pesto. First of all, spinach has a nice sweet and mild flavor similar to basil, if not as aromatic. Secondly, spinach can last for several days in the refrigerator if you don’t have time to make the pesto the same day you purchase it.
Pignolia nuts, also known as pine nuts have a great buttery flavor, but are worth their weight in gold.
Pistacchios have a lower price point, making this Roasted Garlic Spinach Pesto a pesto version that is much kinder to your wallet.
It’s up to you how mild or strong you want the garlic taste to be. I usually use 1 head of garlic, but if you find this too strong, you can use less.
So let’s count the ways you can use this Roasted Garlic Spinach Pesto…
Spinach Pesto Recipes
A little of this pesto added to soup also adds a ton of flavor like in this Butternut Squash Pesto Soup or use it as a sandwich spread.
What other ways do you like to utilize pesto?
Roasted Garlic Spinach Pesto
Equipment
- Blender/ Food Processor
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Pesto Ingredients
- 4 cups spinach leaves firmly packed
- 1/2 cup pistachios
- 1/4 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Peel garlic.
- Combine garlic and olive oil in an oven safe dish and transfer to oven.
- Roast for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- In a blender or food processor, combine garlic, spinach, pistacchios, cheese, salt and pepper.
- With the processor running, slowly add the oil a little at a time, until smooth and homogenous.
Nutrition
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I love the amount of garlic in this recipe and the flavor the pistachio adds! This pesto is so tasty! Thanks for the recipe
so glad you enjoyed it and yes I think the garlic amount is perfect 🙂
What a beautiful dish and easy recipe to follow. Pesto is a great condiment to have in your fridge at all times. It’s quite delicious on our salads and proteins.
Yes to lots of garlic in the pesto! This is delicious! Can’t wait to add put this pesto on a flatbread!
Too much garlic can never be a bad thing right 🙂
I’m a garlic fanatic, so I absolutely love this recipe! It made enough for me to have plenty left over, so now I’m looking forward to incorporating this pesto into our next meal!
Came across this recipe when I was looking for an idea to use up some spinach. This pesto was AMAZING! We had it w/ some pasta, and everyone was in heaven!
This is so much better than typical pesto!! The roasted garlic makes it so flavorful, and I love the addition of pistachios! I’ll be making this again for sure!
I’ve always made pesto with the standard basil and pine nuts, but this is going to be my new go-to recipe. The garlic and spinach are a much better flavor combo.
this one is delicious and better for the wallet too 🙂
This pesto is out of this world! It has so much flavor with the roasted garlic and pistachios! I’m going to keep this recipe around!!
it’s a staple you can keep in the fridge to easily boost the flavor of any dish!