- 1 bunch spinach (about 1 pound) trimmed and washed
- 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 pound fusilli
- 1/4 cup shaved pecorino cheese (1 ounce), for serving
- Serves: 6
- Active Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 Minutes
1. Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water to a large skillet set over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. In a food processor, combine spinach, walnuts, oil, and lemon zest. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water, drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and add pesto, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Transfer to a serving plate, top with percorino, and serve immediately.
"Fusilli with Spinach and Walnut Pesto." Everyday Foods. March 2011: p 87.
Another simple recipe created this week... How can you go wrong with any pasta???
This was an interesting take on pesto using spinach as the main ingredient instead of basil. What I loved most about this recipe from
Everyday Food's March issue was how healthy it seemed. Spinach, nuts... I believe that we even used a whole wheat pasta... And how easy it was to create!
As far as taste goes, Jean Paul did enjoy this one more so that I did. There just wasn't enough flavor in it for me, especially being use to the powerfully robust flavors in authentic pesto. Here is a nice article written on homemade pestos from
allrecipes.com.
I did add sliced cherry tomatoes to the mix for a little more color and flavor, and actually did not add any of the salted pasta water to the mix. I am glad that I choose to do this because of the mild flavoring.
I will use this recipe in the future, but I believe that I will add some chopped garlic and fresh basil to the sauce before processing. I do like the idea of using spinach as a base... but want to maintain the punch.
Try it and let us know what you thought of the recipe on our
facebook page! We'd love to hear form you. And what would you add to improve on the flavor?