Basil-Kale Pesto (gluten free, vegan and made with healthy pumpkin seeds)
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This plant based pesto belongs in your meal prep rotation. You can serve it as a dip with crackers and vegetables or as a sauce with pasta, steamed veggies or just about anything. And, of course, it’s great on PIZZA!
This is definitely not your traditional pesto. In fact, I struggled with whether or not I should even call it pesto. Instead of being make with pine nuts, it’s prepared with pumpkin seeds. You will want to use green pumpkin seeds that do not have a hull on them. These are often called pepitas. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of healthy fat along with magnesium, iron, zinc and antioxidants.
My go to meal lately has been a big bowl of roasted or steamed veggies topped with this sauce. Let me know if you try it!
Basil and Kale Pesto
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), soaked see note
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4-1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 Tb lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups losely packed basil leaves stems removed
- 1 cup kale coarsely chopped
- 1/4-1/2 cup water as needed to blend to desired consistency
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Instructions
- In a food processor of blender, combine the pepitas, garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
- All the kale and basil leaves. Blend/process until smooth, adding water as needed to blend to the desired consistency.
- Blend in the nutritional yeast at the end. Add additional salt if desired.