Spinach Pesto

Pesto is a great alternative to regular red sauce or heavy alfredo! It’s also green, which means it’s loaded with vitamins, and healthy ingredients!

Most pestos are made with basil, well I didn’t have basil on hand, but I had a huge thing of fresh spinach! And spinach is one of the best leafy greens out there for you! The list of nutrition in spinach is very long, so I won’t bore you with details.  The main nutritional values I want to point out are iron, vitamin A and C, calcium, and folate. All wonderful things you need in your diet! 🙂

Instead of noodles, I use spaghetti squash. I have been eating this for years before it was “IN” to eat it as a replacement for pasta. Very easy to make. Some people put it in the oven, but I find it easier to microwave it. The consistency doesn’t change at all and it’s quicker this way!

After eating this for lunch I really wanted more, so it will be on my dinner menu for a few days. Healthy and a little bit a salt (hits the spot).

For this recipe you will need:

-4 1/2 cups of fresh spinach
-2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
-1/2 of a lemon for fresh squeezed lemon juice
-1/4 cup of pine nuts
-1 teaspoon of minced garlic
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-pepper to taste

and a spaghetti squash!

Add all the ingredients to a food processor (minus the greek yogurt)

Pulse (you might have to add 2 cups of spinach, pulse, then another 2 and a half to fit it all)

Now add the greek yogurt. This will make it creamy and smooth

Turn on the food processor again and mix until smooth

Now store it in tupperware for future meals 🙂

I put it on top of spaghetti squash, but you can use it on top of chicken, fish, even on a salad as a dressing!

For 1 serving of this pesto, a little over 1/4 cup: 88 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbs. 

If you want to do the spaghetti squash like me, follow these steps:

This is what you are looking for in the grocery store

Place in the microwave for 4 minutes to soften a little

When it comes out, you are going to take a fork and poke holes in the squash

Now place back in the microwave for another 5-8 minutes (keep checking on it, if it’s not soft enough keep going, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t explode— I obviously have done this before)

When it comes out it will be soft enough to cut in half. The inside has seeds and darker colored “guts”, scoop these out.

And now scrape with a fork to get spaghetti like strands

–Be careful scraping even if you think it’s not hot! Heat get’s trapped underneath and once you start scraping it escapes

Store in tupperware!

Happy eating…

XOXO With a Cherry On Top,

-Minnie