Kale Walnut Pesto Pasta (Vegan, Gluten-free)

If you’re trying to up your meal prep game, making your own dips and sauces can be a game changer! One of my favorites is pesto that is packed with nutrients, full of flavors, and so versatile. You can serve it with pasta, slather it on your toast, use it in sandwiches, serve it with roasted vegetables and proteins, use it in pizza, salads, etc. As you can see the options are endless!

The traditional pesto recipe includes basil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. To make it dairy-free I always skip the Parmesan and use nutritional yeast instead for a subtle cheesy flavor and added nutrients such as the vitamin B family, iron, selenium, zinc, and protein. If you’re sensitive to nutritional yeast, you can skip it completely and go for hemp hearts. It will still turn out delicious.

I like to include whatever greens I have to make the pesto more nutritious. Recently, I’ve been hooked on this kale and walnut pesto that contains both fresh basil and kale leaves, and walnuts instead of pine nuts. It’s super easy to make, taking you less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Just throw everything into a blender or food processor, blend, and store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week. If you’d like to keep it for longer, you can pour your pesto into ice cube molds, freeze, and store in an air-tight container in the freezer for 2-3 months.

I usually serve this pesto with gluten-free red lentil, black bean, green pea, or edamame pasta with a side of vegetables like mushrooms and zucchini sauteed in coconut oil with garlic, topped with hemp hearts and/or nutritional yeast. Simple, yet so flavorful and delicious!

Have you tried making your own pesto yet? If not, hopefully you’ll give this recipe a try! Don’t forget to share how it goes by leaving a comment below or tagging me in your photos on Instagram or Facebook @nutriholist #nutriholist. XO

Kale Walnut Pesto - Nutriholist