This easy homemade 5 minute pesto recipe tastes absolutely delicious. Simple Spinach Cashew Pesto is great served on pasta, potatoes, crostini or even as a dip!
Simple 5-Minute Spinach Cashew Pesto
So often I use a cream or tomato based sauce for pasta, yet serving it with pesto from time to time changes up the ordinary and packs a punch in flavour.
This easy Spinach Pesto recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make, and certainly makes you feel like a professional Italian cook at the same time.
If you are one that usually uses canned pasta sauce, give this a try and see how easy it is to make something new and amazing.
For this particular recipe I used salted roasted cashews, though roasting them is completely optional. Making this using cashews gives pesto a very different flavour to your traditional pesto with pine nuts.
I had some leftover roasted garlic and used it in this recipe too, which in my opinion gave it a much butter flavour than using just plain garlic.
This is just a tip if you have some one hand or want to take that extra step with this recipe.
What to use Pesto for?
While usually I serve it as a sauce for pasta, you can also use on baked potatoes, crostini, or even as a dip for chips!
This is one recipe that I’ve been making for a long time, yet never thought to blog it. Yet it’s the easy and fantastic recipe that I use most, that I’ve been focusing on sharing with my readers – so here you go!
What do you do with pesto?
Check out my Healthy Kale Pesto Pasta recipe, this is a great one that I need to make more often that’s for sure.
If you are craving pasta and want to make a casserole variety, because pop into the oven is so easy, try this Chicken and Spinach Pasta Casserole. You also can’t go wrong with Baked Chicken Spaghetti, it’s always been a top trending recipe on the blog!
This easy homemade 5 minute pesto recipe tastes absolutely delicious. Simple Spinach Cashew Pesto is great served on pasta, potatoes, crostini or even as a dip!
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews
- 2 cloves roasted garlic, roasting the garlic is optional
- 1/3 cup olive oil, and an extra drizzle if needed
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
Using a food processor, pulse the spinach, cashews and garlic until finely chopped.
While the food processor still running, add the olive oil and process until it's smooth and creamy. Add the cheese and quickly pulse one last time.
I don't think it needed any extra salt... but give it a taste. Serve with your favourite pasta and extra parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
jan says
09/11/2018 at 11:46 amHow handy. I am wanting to make pesto tonight, but do not have any pine nuts. However, I do have cashews!
Lynda Cook says
09/12/2018 at 1:30 amMmmm, this sounds very tasty and i am going to have to give it a try, using cashews is a nice change!!
Sarah says
09/12/2018 at 12:49 pmYum! I love this idea. We usually do tomato or cream based sauces as well.
Chris MacDonald says
09/19/2018 at 5:22 amI love Pesto. I grow lots of basil in my garden and make it every year in big batches so I can freeze what I can’t use right away. This year I grew parsley in my garden and found a great Parsley Lemon Pesto recipe which I can’t wait to try. This Spinach cashew recipe looks yummy! I will try it!