Caroline Steffens

I love pesto not only because of how versatile it is (as a spread, dip, or dilute it with a little oil & vinegar to use as a dressing!) but also because it’s completely customizable. All you need is a few simple ingredients and a basic, no-fail recipe: a green (spinach, arugula, basil), toasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts), nutritional yeast or parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. The inspiration for this recipe was the spinach and steamed broccoli that I had leftover from the week. I had never tried adding broccoli to pesto before, but since I like my pesto textured and bursting with flavor, I thought it would be worth a try. I’m so glad I tried it because this might just be my favorite pesto yet! Whip up a batch and enjoy it with a crudité platter or spread it on sweet potato toast!

P.S. I have a couple other pesto recipes including arugula basil pesto and baby kale & cashew pesto that are also incredible and worth trying! (And hence, this is pesto 3.0!)

Ingredients

• 3 cups steamed then cooled broccoli
• 2 handfuls organic spinach
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbs nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp pink salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Method

1. In a high-powered blender or food processor, combine (in order): lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, broccoli, and spinach.
2. Pulse until still textured but well-combined. Add the toasted walnuts, and blend for about 20 seconds (you could blend it until completely smooth if desired!). Enjoy!