Linguine or Spaghetti with Greens and Feta Pesto
Pesto doesn’t have to be the classic Genovese recipe! I make this easy Greek recipe for pesto with any sweet greens I have on hand and like to think of it as the perfect—and literal--example of the green Mediterranean diet! Here’s an added benefit: The almonds are a good-mood superfood, high in plant protein and rich in magnesium, vitamin E, phosphorous, and lots more.
RATING
SERVES
4
PREP TIME
10 min
COOK TIME
10 min
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 3 cups trimmed fresh spinach and/or Swiss chard
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 2/3 c raw almonds preferably Greek
- 2/3 cup crumbled Greek feta
- 2/3 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- Greek sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine (regular, whole wheat or high-protein all work)
Instructions
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To make the greens pesto, in the bowl of a food processor puree 3 cups trimmed fresh spinach and/or Swiss chard, 1 cup fresh basil, 1/2 cup fresh mint, 1/2 cup fresh parsley, 4 garlic cloves, 2/3 cup each of raw almonds, Greek feta and Greek EVOO, grated zest of 1 lemon and Greek sea salt and pepper to taste.
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Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, season generously with salt and cook the pasta. Drain when done and reserve a cup of the hot pasta cooking liquid.
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Toss the hot pasta with the pest and a half cup of the pasta water, adding more if desired, for a looser sauce.
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