winter pesto with pasta and white beans
I love all kinds of pesto. It is such a delicious, simple way to celebrate the different herbs and plants that are in season. Pesto adds SO much flavor to whatever you’re cooking and is one of my favorite flavor agents. It is so versatile and can be used on pasta, sandwiches, with roasted vegetables or meat, in bowls or salads, in pastries, and so much more. I’m not sure that any two batches of pesto that I make are the same because I typically use what I have on hand and eyeball ingredients until it tastes good! While I have a few pesto recipes on here, I recommend using these as more of a template and changing things based on your preferences and what ingredients you have access to at a given time.
In the spring, I love using spring greens like chickweed, cleavers, and nettle. In the summer, basil, dandelion greens, and roasted red peppers are my go-to’s. In the fall and winter, without access to these herbs, I use hearty winter greens like kale. While pine nuts are delicious and traditionally used in pesto, they are expensive, so I like to use walnuts instead. This recipe is very flexible: I’ve tried it with both pine nuts and walnuts, with or without parm, and it would work with any type of kale you have on hand. This recipe will make leftover pesto, but I love to double the recipe and put the rest in the freezer to use later when I’m busy (just be sure to leave a layer of olive oil covering the top of the pesto before you freeze it!). To this pasta I add white beans but you could use chickpeas, or omit entirely. Of course, you could also just make the pesto and put it on whatever you want!
Until the spring greens make their way back to the surface in a few months, I hope this winter pesto gets you through!
winter pesto with pasta and white beans
ingredients
1 bunch lacinato kale, washed, ribs removed and leaves roughly chopped (any type of kale works here)
1/3 cup pine nuts or 2/3 cups walnuts, plus more for topping
1/3 cup grated parm, plus more for topping (feel free to use a dairy free alternative such as nutritional yeast or dairy free parm OR omit entirely, you might just need to add more salt)
1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I usually use one or two depending on the size of the cloves and how garlicky I want it to taste)
Lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
12 oz pasta (use gluten free if needed)
1 14oz can white beans (I usually use cannellini or butter beans)
optional: lemon zest from one lemon
winter pesto
instructions
In a medium sized pot, bring water to a boil.
While the water is coming to a boil, add the nuts, parm (or alternative), garlic, lemon juice, and ½ tsp of salt to a blender or food processor.
Once the water is boiling, use tongs to add the kale to the water to blanch them. Cook for 30 seconds to one minute or until the kale is a darker green and wilted. Take the kale out and shake off excess water. Depending on the size of your pot and the amount of kale you have, you might need to do this in batches. Add the kale to the blender or food processor.
Blend the ingredients until they turn into a thick paste. It might take a few minutes for the kale to break down into a pesto-like consistency. Next, while the blender or food processor is running on a medium-low speed, slowly pour in the olive oil. By slowly adding the oil, this helps it to emulsify and incorporate in the pesto.
Next, taste! If needed add more salt, parm, or lemon juice to up the flavor.
winter pesto with pasta and white beans
instructions
Cook your pasta according to its instructions, but make sure it is al dente. Save 1/3 cup of pasta water.
Once the pasta is cooked, return it to a pot along with the pasta water and 3-4 tablespoons of pesto (or more, to taste). Stir until well combined and the pesto is sticking to the pasta.
Add the white beans, another pinch of salt and/or some parm, and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt or parm if needed.
Serve! Top with parm, black pepper, toasted nuts, and lemon zest.
