Spinach Walnut Pesto

This Spinach Walnut Pesto recipe is made with basil, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan cheese. It makes a great sauce for any type of pasta!

If you've got fresh basil growing in your herb garden, pesto is a great way to use it up! This Spinach Basil Pesto is combined with vegetable broth to create a silky, flavorful sauce that can be tossed with your favorite pasta for a gourmet meal.

This pesto is one of the reasons I plant basil in my herb garden every summer. It's loaded with flavor and can be whipped up in no time at all. Pesto is one of those things that seems fancy, but is easy enough to serve as a weeknight dinner.

This version is made with Italian basil, fresh spinach, garlic, toasted walnuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. The addition of spinach helps to round out the flavor of the pesto, ensuring that the basil doesn't overtake your dish.

I find that the earthy flavor of the spinach rounds out the overall flavor, making it versatile enough to be used as a pasta sauce, pizza sauce, sandwich spread, or served alongside grilled or roasted meats.

There is nothing better than walking out to the herb garden, plucking a bunch of fresh basil, and enjoying a heaping bowl of pasta made with this spinach walnut pesto sauce.

Jump to:

• What Is Pesto?
• Ingredients For Spinach Walnut Pesto
• How To Toast Walnuts
• Can I Substitute Any Other Nuts?
• How To Make Spinach Walnut Pesto
• What Consistency Should Pesto Have?
• What Else Can I Make With Pesto?
• How To Make Pesto Sauce For Pasta
• How To Make Pesto Sauce Creamy
• Which Noodles Are Best For Pesto Sauce?
• What To Serve With Spinach Pesto Pasta
• How Long Does Homemade Pesto Last?
• Can It Be Frozen?
• Spinach Walnut Pesto

What Is Pesto?

Pesto is a sauce that originated in Genoa, Italy. It is typically made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, a hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano, and olive oil. The ingredients are traditionally crushed into a paste or sauce using a mortar and pestle.

You can certainly use a mortar and pestle to make this or any pesto you like, but I find it much easier to use a food processor. A food processor allows you to quickly make a big batch of it.

There are millions of variations on a traditional Genovese pesto and this recipe is no exception. The beauty of a something like pesto is that it can be altered and built upon to create dishes that are all delicious in their own way.

I love to add spinach to my pesto and prefer to use walnuts, because they are much cheaper than pine nuts.

Ingredients For Spinach Walnut Pesto

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• ½ cup Walnuts (unsalted)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 4 packed cups Fresh Spinach
• ½ packed cup Fresh Basil
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
• 4 Tbsp. Olive Oil (split)
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
• ¼ tsp. Pepper
• ¾ cup Vegetable Broth
• 1 12 oz. package Gluten Free Pasta Noodles of choice (or regular pasta noodles if not gluten free)

How To Toast Walnuts

Nuts are one of the ingredients that gives pesto its distinct flavor. I love to use walnuts in all kinds of recipes, from pasta to appetizers to pie.

Walnuts are economical and widely available in almost any grocery store. They have a great earthy flavor that lends itself nicely to both sweet and savory dishes.

It's important to use unsalted walnuts when making pesto. Walnuts that are salted or seasoned in any way will alter the flavor of the pesto and make it too salty.

I recommend toasting the walnuts before adding it to pesto, or any other dish. Toasting walnuts (or nuts of any kind) helps to release their natural oils and makes their flavor more robust.

A walnut is great, but a toasted walnut is really great. When you toast a walnut, you're helping it be all it can be.

I have a dedicated 'nut pan' in my kitchen. It's a small cast iron skillet and the only thing I use it for is toasting nuts.

1. Start by placing a small skillet on the stove top and heating it to medium-low.
2. Add ½ cup walnuts to the pan and toast on low heat for 5-6 minutes, shaking the skillet occasionally, so that the nuts don't burn.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside once the walnuts are toasted. They will darken slightly and smell fragrant when finished.

Can I Substitute Any Other Nuts?

Yes, you can use any variety of unsalted nut you like in this pesto if you don't care for walnuts - Pine nuts, almonds, or hazelnuts are all great options!

How To Make Spinach Walnut Pesto

Once the walnuts are toasted, it's time to add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine.

I have a small food processor and find that it's best to pulse the pesto in batches. If you own a large food processor, you may be able to fit all of the ingredients in there and pulse it all at once.

1. Remove the skin from 2 large cloves of garlic (there is no need to mince the garlic).
2. Add half of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until combined. Add ¼ cup toasted walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, 2 packed cups fresh spinach, ¼ packed cup fresh basil, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil, ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp. pepper and pulse until combined.
3. Repeat the process again, adding the second half of each ingredient to the food processor until combined.

Love healthy pasta dishes? Don't miss these recipes!

• Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta
• Mushroom Olive Pasta
• Kale Pancetta Pasta
• One Pot Veggie Pasta

What Consistency Should Pesto Have?

There are so many pesto recipes out there, each one a variation of the original. There is no 'wrong' way to make pesto, as it can be altered to fit just about any dietary preferences and requirements.

This version is a bit 'drier' than a traditional Genovese pesto. It does not contain as much olive oil, making for a thicker sauce with more texture.

I find that too much olive oil makes for oily pasta and leaving a bit of texture works better when turning it into a sauce.

What Else Can I Make With Pesto?

If you'd rather not turn this pesto into a sauce for pasta, you can use it as-is in any number of ways.

Feel free to use it in place of tomato sauce on pizza, spread it onto a sandwich, add a scoop of it to a bowl of soup, use it as a dip for raw veggies, or serve on top of roasted or grilled meats like chicken.

You can also cut the recipe in half if you do not need as much pesto.

How To Make Pesto Sauce For Pasta

My favorite thing to do with this spinach pesto is to turn it into a sauce that gets tossed with some cooked pasta. It's super easy to prepare and makes for a flavorful meal.

1. To turn the pesto into a sauce, place a skillet on the stove top and heat to medium high. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the skillet.
2. After the oil has heated, add the pesto mixture and stir. At this point, add some vegetable broth (or chicken broth if not vegetarian) to 'thin' the pesto out and create a velvety, about ¾ cup of broth. If you want a 'thicker' sauce, add less broth. For a 'thinner' sauce, add more broth.
3. Continue to stir until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.

How To Make Pesto Sauce Creamy

If you prefer a creamy pesto sauce, simply substitute ¼ of the vegetable broth for heavy cream.

The heavy cream will create a pesto cream sauce. Feel free to add even more cream for a creamier sauce.

Love pesto? Be sure to check out these recipes!

• Arugula Pesto, Tomato, and Prosciutto Pizza
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Vegetable Soup and Pesto Grilled Cheese
• Pesto Cod and Potatoes
• Chicken Pesto Flatbread

Which Noodles Are Best For Pesto Sauce?

The choice of which noodles to use when making this spinach pesto is entirely up to you. It works well with any type of pasta.

This recipe is gluten free and calls for gluten free spaghetti noodles (or gluten free noodles of choice), but you can use regular noodles of choice if gluten is not an issue for you.

If using gluten free noodles, it's important to choose a high quality brand of pasta that will not break apart as soon as its added to the sauce. I recommend the brown rice spaghetti from Tinkyada, Jovial pasta, or Barilla pasta noodles.

1. Prepare 1 12 oz. package of pasta noodles according to package instructions. Drain the pasta when finished.
2. If using gluten free pasta, be sure to cook it only until al dente. Gluten free pasta breaks apart more easily than regular pasta and this helps to ensure that it remains intact.
3. Pour the cooked and drained noodles into the pesto pasta sauce. Toss until coated in the sauce. Feel free to add as many or as few of the noodles as you like.

What To Serve With Spinach Pesto Pasta

Voila. Place your pesto-coated noodles into a bowl and top it with some Parmesan cheese and any leftover walnuts you might have.

It can be enjoyed as-is or served with toppings of choice. Here are some topping ideas for this pesto pasta:

• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Roasted Tomatoes
• Sundried Tomatoes
• Grilled Chicken Breasts
• Grilled or Sautéed Shrimp
• Grilled Salmon
• Roasted Red Peppers

Feel free to garnish with any kind of hard cheese, such as Pecorino Romano or Parmigiana Reggiano. You can also add some red pepper flakes for spice, or more fresh basil for extra freshness.

I love Italian pasta dishes like this one served alongside a healthy salad like Balsamic green bean salad, marinated tomato salad, or fresh pea mint salad.

How Long Does Homemade Pesto Last?

This spinach walnut pesto tossed with pasta should last 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Feel free to store the pesto (not pesto sauce) in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge and use as needed.

Can It Be Frozen?

I recommend enjoying this sauce right away or within a few days and do not recommend freezing it.

Looking for more sauce recipes? Don't miss these!

• Green Pasta Sauce (Pesto without Nuts)
• Healthy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
• Thai Basil Pesto Sauce

Love Italian dishes? Be sure to check out these recipes!

• Chicken Marsala Pasta
• Sheet Pan Italian Chicken
• Baked Eggplant Parmesan
• Lemon Pea Risotto
• Garden Vegetable Lasagna
• Chicken Sausage Spaghetti

Looking For Dishes That Go Great With Pesto? Don't Miss These Recipes!

Caprese Salad

Grilled Chicken Breasts

Burrata Salad