How to Make Kale & Basil Pesto

Kale seems to have become a bit of a buzzword in my opinion. Anything with Kale automatically is ten times more expensive and elusive. With the antioxidant properties and 85% water composition, Kale was particularly important in rationing during and after World War 2. It’s a popular ingredient in Nordic cuisine, and has been a consistent feature in healthy diets for years. Part of the dark leafy green family, Kale is a very nutritionally dense food that is low in calories, rich in protein and fibre.

But Kale is only used in Smoothies!

Thank goodness this is no longer true.

Kale in Australia has gained popularity in the last few years and I have been so excited to use the vegetable and make delicious and nutritional food. As much as I love making smoothies, and hiding greens there, I personally could not justify buying a massive bunch of kale that would only go into murky colored smoothies! I must admit, the kale did ruin the flavour every now and then.

So began my experimentation to make Kale taste amazing in recipes that are still ultra healthy. I am pretty excited and happy to say that I have found some pretty awesome ways to use up your Kale.

But how will Kale taste in Pesto?

The hubby was skeptical about the flavour.

But then he ate it.

And now he is converted.

He didn’t believe that kale could actually taste nice with pasta. There is a bit of a trick here, and it is to do with the consistency of the pesto itself.

With a traditional pesto recipe, I personally love a rustic finish from a mortar and pestle where I don’t mind a little bit of texture from the nuts and basil leaves. The way to make this pesto so much easier to eat, flavour wise, is to actually pulverize the ingredients in a small blender (think Nutribullet *I am not sponsored!) to get a beautifully smooth pesto that a lovely and vibrant light forest green colour.

This pesto recipe balances the kale with delicious sweet basil. The combination creates something a little bit familiar, and yet a little bit different. The flavour isn’t overly bitter at all! My top secret to help the flavour along a bit to simply add a tiny dash of honey or maple syrup to lighten the bitterness of the kale . This is totally optional, but it does wonders for the resulting pesto. Without the added sweetness, there is a strong and almost peppery punch in the pesto.

How do we make Kale and Basil Pesto?

The trick is to go 1 and a half cups of kale, and 1 cup of fresh basil leaves. Now if you wanted to cut down the strong kale flavour, you can up the amount of basil. Trust me, this is a really flexible recipe so make it work however way you want. Beyond the greens, the key ingredients here are olive oil (I will touch on this in a little bit), pine nuts, garlic, a hint of chilli flakes, some lemon juice, and some honey or maple syrup (though this is optional).

Let’s talk about the olive oil.

A lot of people don’t realise that olive oil does expire!

Don’t let those lovely bottles of olive oil go to waste in the pantry! If you have an older bottle of olive oil, do me a favour and pour some out onto a spoon and give it a smell – it very well might smell rancid. Even the flavour might taste off. Nothing beats the flavour of a fresh olive oil, and you absolutely have to use it fresh. The results in your cooking with change drastically too.

In relation to the lemon juice, try to use fresh lemons. If you can’t find fresh lemon, then use fresh lime but avoid using something from a bottle. These tend to have a lot of preservatives and have a much deeper acidic flavour which personally I find just does not compare to the fresh stuff. Ultimately if you cannot find fresh lemon or lime, find yourself a good quality bottle of lemon juice – I mean go an invest in a good brand with a shorter shelf life, with fewer preservatives in the bottle.

If you cannot get pine nuts, go ahead and use something like cashew and pistachio instead. Both are beautifully creamy and will release their oils quickly to give you a really rich result in the pesto. If you want to use something like almond and walnut, I suggest adding a bit of extra moisture in the form of a splash of water, some lemon (always check the flavour if using lemon!) or some more olive oil.

So how do I make the most amazing Pesto?

It’s pretty straightforward! Here is my simple, easy recipe. This pesto is perfect for making pasta for 2 people. I love making this with a penne, or fettucine.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I love making it. It’s healthy, super simple and makes for the most perfect weeknight dinner. For me, it’s the perfect blend of delicious and good-for-you that we all need in our busy lives.

You can make a big batch of this and freeze it or put it into a sterilized jar and pop it into the fridge – it’ll last you for roughly 10 days!

As always I am super keen to see how you go with making this delicious pesto. Be sure to tag me on Instagram, and leave me a comment below!