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Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

July 4, 2018 by Jeanette 16 Comments

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Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto - delicious stirred into cold or hot pasta, spread on sandwiches, stirred into hummus, served with grilled chicken or fish

Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto is a great way to enjoy in-season farmer’s market produce. I remember the first time I tasted pesto many years ago. Just a spoonful of pesto packs a flavorful aromatic punch to any dish. Traditional pesto is made with basil and pine nuts, but I love adding leafy green vegetables and switching up the nuts in my pesto.

Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto - delicious stirred into cold or hot pasta, spread on sandwiches, stirred into hummus, served with grilled chicken or fish

One of my favorite past times during the summer is going to our local farmer’s market. As the summer progresses, the variety of produce expands. I look forward to seeing bunches of garlic scapes at the market so I can make Garlic Scape Paste, which I store in my refrigerator for stir-fries and this Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto.

Although traditional pesto is made with basil, I’ve found almost any leafy green vegetable works well in combination with basil – whether it’s kale, Swiss chard or beet greens. Garlic Scape Paste makes a great alternative to garlic, and pistachios are a nice change from pine nuts.

Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto - delicious stirred into cold or hot pasta, spread on sandwiches, stirred into hummus, served with grilled chicken or fish

5 Ways To Use Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto

Pesto is a versatile sauce that can be used in many different ways. Make a batch and store in the refrigerator for a week.

  • Stir a few spoonfuls of Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto into a bowl of hot pasta or cold pasta salad. I love adding fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and sometimes leftover grilled chicken
  • Thin out some of this pesto with olive oil and drizzle over a fresh tomato mozzarella cheese platter
  • Spread some of this pesto on a sandwich (fresh tomato and mozzarella is a favorite)
  • Stir some of this pesto into hummus
  • Serve this pesto with grilled chicken or fish
Kale Garlic Scape Basil Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy Living
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Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto

Course sauce
Keyword basil, kale, pesto
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 176 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 bunch basil
  • 1 bunch garlic scapes
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup pistachios toasted
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Strip kale leaves off stems and wash well. Bring pot of water to a boil and blanch kale leaves for 30 seconds; remove to a bowl of cold water to cool down. Squeeze kale dry with hands. 

  2. Place kale, basil, garlic and hazelnuts in food processor. Process, adding oil through feeder tube, until mixture is finely ground. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts
Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto
Amount Per Serving
Calories 176 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 9mg0%
Potassium 125mg4%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 1690IU34%
Vitamin C 25.7mg31%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto - delicious stirred into cold or hot pasta, spread on sandwiches, stirred into hummus, served with grilled chicken or fish

More Kale Pesto Recipes:

Kale Basil Hazelnut Pesto

Kale Basil Hazelnut Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Kale Basil Mint Parsley Pesto

Kale Basil Mint Parsley Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto © Jeanette's Healthy Living
Kale Basil Pesto

kale basil pesto

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Filed Under: Clean Eating, dairy-free, Dinner, dips and sauces, gluten-free, green leafy vegetables, main courses, Pasta and Noodles, vegetarian Tagged With: csa, farmer's market, garlic scapes, kale pesto, pasta with pesto

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Comments

  1. Christine at Cook the Story says

    July 21, 2014 at 11:00 am

    This looks so healthy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:08 pm

      Thanks Christine – adding kale to pesto is the easiest way to get my kids to eat it 😉

      Reply
  2. EA-The Spicy RD says

    July 21, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    Love it!!! The pistachios sound fabulous too. Now if I can get my hands on some garlic scapes, I’ll be good to go!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      Garlic scapes are hard to find, so whenever I spot them, I grab a bunch. Fresh garlic can be used instead.

      Reply
  3. Shashi @ runninsrilankan says

    July 21, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    The idea to stir some of this gorgeous and flavorful Kale Basil Pistachio Garlic Scape Pesto into hummus sounds heavenly! Thanks for sharing this one!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      Thanks Shashi – I love stir-ins to hummus – adds an extra punch of flavor.

      Reply
  4. Kevin @ Closet Cooking says

    July 21, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Love using kale in pesto and this one sounds great!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:09 pm

      We’re definitely on the same page Kevin 🙂

      Reply
  5. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    July 21, 2014 at 6:20 pm

    I’ve “seen” kale used in pesto but I haven’t tasted it yet. This looks so delicious!!! I want to make pasta and sandwich with this pesto. Healthy and yummy – a total winner!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:10 pm

      Thanks Nami – we love pesto in all forms, especially during the summer. It goes with so many foods and it’s a great way to get my kids to eat more kale.

      Reply
  6. Cynthia says

    July 21, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    I live in Ecuador and I’m not sure how much kale or basil are in a bunch. I go out and pick it or get what the fresh food market considers to be a bunch. The kale tends to be as much as I can wrap both hands around when it’s pressed tightly together. The basil can be anywhere from 1/2 to 2 cups mashed down fairly well. Could you give me a guestimate of how much you think would be good? Thanks so much! This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:12 pm

      Cynthia, this isn’t a precise recipe – I use roughly 1.5x more kale than basil in this recipe. Add just enough olive oil to make a thick paste and a few cloves of garlic if you don’t have garlic scapes. Just a little salt and pepper and you should be good to go.

      Reply
  7. gretchen | kumquat says

    July 22, 2014 at 8:48 am

    i love pesto and would happily eat it by the bushel… and what a brilliant ingredient list. great to way use up farmer’s market booty and sneak in some extra nutrients too!

    Reply
  8. Kelly says

    July 22, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    Kale in pesto sounds so good and combining it with garlic scape is such a great idea! I love that you used toasted pistachios too. Looks so fresh and healthy!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 22, 2014 at 11:16 pm

      Thanks Kelly – pesto is such a great way to enjoy summer produce. We love it!

      Reply
  9. Sylvie | Gourmande in the Kitchen says

    July 23, 2014 at 4:15 am

    So many wonderful flavors in this pesto!

    Reply

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