This Spinach Pesto Sauce with Pistachios is healthy, delicious and extremely easy to make. It is the perfect sauce to have on your favorite pasta, sandwich or elevate an avocado toast.

Spinach Pesto in a glass jar

Pesto is one of the easiest sauces to make! All you have to do is add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and you are golden.

The hardest part of this recipe will be gathering all of the ingredients.

On that same note, you probably already have majority of the ingredients in your kitchen. Once you have all of the ingredients, you can leave the rest of the work to your food processor (or blender).

The flavors in this Spinach Pesto with Pistachios are so delicious that you’ll think you are sitting in your favorite Italian restaurant.

Grab the ingredients below and let’s take a trip to Italy!

Main Ingredients

Ingredients to Make Pesto measured out.

Combining Spinach Pesto with Pasta

I have a couple tips for combining this Spinach Pesto Sauce with your favorite pasta.

  • If the pesto is freshly made, it will be easy to combine. However, if it has been in the fridge, let the pesto sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before mixing with the pasta. You can also combine the warm pasta with the pesto to heat it if it is warm enough.
  • I use 1/4 cup of the pesto for 1 serving of pasta.
  • For additional toppings, add chopped fresh basil, grated parmesan, fresh/dried tomatoes

This Pesto Sauce pairs beautifully with any pasta shape and will brighten the dish with flavor.

How to Make Spinach Pesto with Pistachios

  1. Add your spinach, basil, pistachios, olive oil, grated pecorino and lemon juice into the food processor
  2. Pulse consistently until fully combined and smooth
  3. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I tend to think the cheese adds enough saltiness for my taste)
  4. Pulse again if needed until combined and there are not big pieces of ingredients
  5. Add to your favorite pasta or as a spread on a sandwich/avocado toast.
  6. Pour into a mason jar or sealed container for storage in the fridge
  7. Enjoy!
Add basil to the food processor
Add basil to the food processor
Pour grated pecorino over the basil
Pour grated pecorino over the basil
Top with the pistachios
Top with the pistachios
Drizzle olive oil over all the ingredients
Drizzle olive oil over all the ingredients
Blend and enjoy!
Blend and enjoy!

Make Avocado Toast using Spinach Pesto with Pistachios

  • Toast your bread to your liking then spread the Spinach Pesto Sauce on top
  • Add mashed or sliced avocado on top
  • Next, finish the avocado toast with a dash of salt and pepper to taste
  • Another option would be to mix the pesto directly with mashed avocado
  • Some additional toppings that you can add are tomato slices, eggs, greens/sprouts, red pepper flakes/cayenne pepper, hot honey or regular honey

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this recipe be made vegan or dairy-free?

Yes, it sure can! This recipe can be made vegan/dairy-free by substituting the pecorino cheese for a vegan parmesan/similar cheese

Is pesto sauce healthy?

This pesto sauce is made with all healthy and nutritious and ingredients. However, pesto sauce is a high calorie food, which is why a serving is only a 1/4 cup.

I’m allergic to pistachios, can I swap with anything else?

Yes! Swap at a 1:1 ratio with cashews, almonds or pine nuts. If the nut is raw, make sure to roast in the oven and cool completely prior to using in the recipe.

What else can pesto be made from?

Pesto is typically made with the main ingredients as basil and pine nuts. However, I wanted to get creative and make a pesto that uses more common ingredients.

Also, I kept the basil as it adds such a nice flavor and then combined it with spinach for some extra healthy nutrients.

Lastly, instead of pine nuts I used pistachios since I have those on hand more often than pine nuts.

How do I Store the Pesto Sauce?

Store in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also store in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.

Spinach Pesto Sauce paired with pasta and fresh tomatoes.
Spinach Pesto in a glass jar
5 stars (1 rating)

Spinach Pesto with Pistachios

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
This Spinach Pesto Sauce with Pistachios is healthy, delicious and extremely easy to make. It is the perfect sauce to have on your favorite pasta, sandwich or elevate an avocado toast.
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Ingredients
 

  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, roasted
  • 4 tbsp grated pecorino cheese
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water, optional, see instructions below
  • 1 whole lemon, juice only
  • pepper, to taste
  • salt, to taste

Equipment

  • food processor

Instructions
 

  • Add your spinach, basil, pistachios, olive oil, grated pecorino and lemon juice into the food processor
  • Pulse consistently until fully combined and smooth
  • Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking (I tend to think the cheese adds enough saltiness for my taste)
  • If you don't like the pesto to be on the thicker side, add the water to thin it out
  • Pulse again if needed until combined and there are not big pieces of ingredients
  • Add to your favorite pasta or as a spread on a sandwich/avocado toast.
  • Pour into a mason jar or sealed container for storage in the fridge
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 1240IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Jess Selensky
Course: dinner, lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: easy recipes, healthy pesto, healthy pesto recipe, pesto dish, pesto pasta, pesto recipe, pesto with pistachios, spinach pesto

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