Kale Pecan Pesto Recipe

I love pesto, but I am afraid to admit that I have never before branched out to try anything other than my beloved standard basil pesto! That changed this week with this amazingly easy Kale Pecan Pesto recipe. I think you’re going to love it as much as I did!

Are you a pesto girl? I am!

I love pesto on everything. Pasta, pizza, bread, sandwiches, you name it! But I am new to making my own pesto, and my winter-window-sill basil plant doesn’t have enough leaves to make a jar from. Plus, I have never made pesto before so I needed a beginner recipe to start with…

What drew me to this recipe was the pecans (I am ALL about pecans), and the mint leaves. It was very intriguing and something I have never tried before.

There is something so satisfying about trying a recipe that is so out of your normal menu and finding out it is a hit. This one is seriously going down into my recipe book to be made over and over. I might have to freeze a few jars too…

Ingredients you will need to make Kale Pecan Pesto

• 1 Bunch of Kale (the original recipe asked for Lacinato kale, but my store only had common curly kale. I still loved it)
• 1/3 cup of pecans (These are supposed to be lightly toasted, but I totally forgot that step, oops!)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I only had non-extra virgin olive oil on hand)
• 4 green chilis (I could not for the life of me find regular old green chilis at my store! So I used canned ones…)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 TBSP fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 cloves garlic (I used one HUGE clove instead of 3 regular cloves. It was like an inch thick!)
• 1/2 a lemon juiced. (I used about 3 TB lemon juice)

How To Make Kale Pecan Pesto

To make the pesto, first remove the stems from the kale and blanch the leaves for about 2 minutes.

(Blanching, for those of you who don’t know, is when you boil for a short time then quickly rinse with cold water.)

Squeeze all the water you can out of the leaves. Then, throw them and everything else into a blender or food processor until it is mixed well.

Yes, that’s it!

It was so easy and quick, recipes that are basically just “dump-and-go” are my favorite. (Like my perfectly whole wheat banana bread.)

Plus, the kale and pecans are a lot cheaper than basil and pine nuts. Win, win.

Kale, I never knew I would find a way to love you. I literally can eat this pesto off a spoon, and I have been eating it on every slice of toast for the last few days.

I hope you fall in love with it as much as I did! Give it a try, even if it is outside your normal menu. You might be happily surprised like I was.