Linguine or Spaghetti with Greens and Feta Pesto

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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.

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Greek, Greek cuisine, Mediterranean diet

Keyword Diane Kochilas, feta cheese, feta pesto, Greek olive oil, pesto, pesto pasta

PREP TIME 10 minutes

COOK TIME 10 minutes

SERVES 4

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

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.
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.
Toss the hot pasta with the pest and a half cup of the pasta water, adding more if desired, for a looser sauce.