Kale & Almond Pesto

I’ve never been that wild about pesto. I think the flavor is too strong and I mostly think this is the case because theres SO MUCH basil. Also making pesto is expensive but this one is friendly on the budget. A friend of mine back in Helsinki made this for a book club and I was obsessed. It was amazing and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. She said she didn’t have a recipe for it and just whipped it up. But she told me the basics of it and so I started working on it back in Helsinki. My little sister came to visit us after the 3rd time making it and now she makes it too.

I just need to throw one thing out though too– This doesn’t taste like kale. So if you’re not a kale lover, you will still like this.

It is a very customizable recipe too. If you have other herbs going bad in your fridge you can easily throw them in. I love to add a bit of parsley to this if I have some on hand. But if I don’t, then I don’t go out of my way to buy it to use. If I ran out and don’t have quite enough almonds– Use a different nut! I’ve tried it with cashews and walnuts with good success. Just pulse the almonds a few times before adding softer nuts because they’re a harder nut so it takes a few extra pulses to get them small.

My very favorite way to eat this the following- lightly toast slices of baguette, spread a generous amount of pesto on top followed by a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic glaze/reduction. If you have fresh basil on hand, also top with a basil leaf. This is the most amazing appetizer or snack and my whole family is obsessed.

If you’ve never made my Garden Tomato soup, make it and use this pesto in it!

Kale & Almond Pesto

Print Recipe

The most delicious and fresh pesto that doesn’t break the bank but still is yummy on everything a normal pesto is delicious on.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: about 1.5 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 cup almonds

3 cups of kale, washed (remove the leaves from the large center stem/rib and then press into a measuring cup

1/3 cup basil

1 clove of garlic

3/4 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Juice of 1 whole lemon (fresh!)

1–1 1/4 cup Olive oil *see note

1 cup real parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the almonds till they’re course small pieces. Add the kale, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice till the kale is in small pieces. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil till all of it is incorporated. Add the cheese and pulse about 5 times. Taste and see if it needs any extra salt or lemon juice.

Enjoy on pasta or bread, in tomato soup or any other way you eat pesto!

Notes

It’s kind of hard to measure how much 3 cups of Kale is so because of this, you may need a bit extra olive oil to help it get to the right consistency if you packed your kale into a cup heavily.

Make sure to read the words above the recipe for fun ways to alter this recipe to use more of what you already have on hand and to see my favorite way to eat this pesto that will impress anyone!