Arugula Walnut Pesto

Whenever I see pesto on a menu, I am all over it. I love it! Pesto is typically made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Lately though, I have taken to experimenting with different greens and nuts. This walnut arugula pesto is the best one I have made so far! Arugula is probably my favorite green, so I don’t know why it took me so long to make pesto with it.

One of the great things about pesto is that it is a versatile sauce. Pesto is the perfect summer sauce. You don’t just have to serve it with a big bowl of pasta. It also works well on potatoes for a potato salad or a cold pasta salad. It’s makes for a great spread on chicken or fish. Or you can even use it as a spread on a sandwich or crostini. I often make a double batch so that I can freeze some. I’m the only pesto fan in my house, so freezing the pesto in ice cube trays works so well as I just typically want 1 or 2 cubes worth for myself.

Arugula Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shelled walnuts

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 cups fresh arugula, stems removed

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (add more if needed)

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and let them cook in the pan, turning every so often until the cloves start to brown (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from the heat and transfer the cloves onto a plate to cool.

2. Place the walnuts in the pan and put it back on the heat. Toast the walnuts, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Remove the peels from the garlic cloves. Place the arugula, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese, and the lemon juice into a food processor or blender. Puree the mixture until it is well-combined. Slowly add in the olive oil and continue to puree until it is fully incorporated with the other ingredients (you can add more olive oil if you feel it is necessary). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note:

– If you want to make this vegan, you can try replacing the Parmesan with nutritional yeast.

Stephanie Day is the author of the food blog, Eat. Drink. Love. By day, Stephanie is a developmental psychologist who specializes in educational research. However, Stephanie has always had a passion for cooking ever since she was a little girl and started her blog as a way to expand her cooking skills and to share simple and healthy recipes with her readers. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, drinking wine, and photography.

Blog: Eat-Drink-Love.com

Twitter: @eatdrinkluv

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