Kitchen Basics: A Very Useful Spicy Kale Pesto Recipe (2024)

Spicy Kale Pesto is the perfect way to use up a bountiful kale crop. It is delicious stirred through pasta for a quick meal, served on crackers for a healthy snack or simply eaten straight from the spoon.

Total Time Investment: 10 Minutes

Kale was the most successful crop in our vegetable garden last year. So successful that this year we planted three times the amount (or to quote Mr Grumpy, we went ‘long on kale’). As the plants begin to reach maturity, I can attest that it is entirely possible to have far too much of a good thing. There are only so many kale chips I can make at any one time, and I am not really a green smoothie kinda gal (popsicles aside). This leaves me with a lot of kale to do something useful with.

This simple kale pesto came about after surveying the vegetable patch and realising that the kale situation had got quite out of hand. Some leaves were so large they were breaking off under their own weight, and even after harvesting an armful it looked like I hadn’t touched the plants. I’d run out of my usual basil pesto so thought I might be able to reduce the kale crop by whizzing up kale pesto for dinner. The result was glorious (in my not so very humble opinion). But don’t just take my word for it. Why not try it for yourself.

How To Prepare Kale

Personally I find raw kale tough and chewy, and unless kale is quite young, it can be quite bitter. And I’m not convinced it tastes any better lightly cooked by stirring it into eggs, stir fry’s or anything else that could do with a dash of greens. A few options for preparing kale to make it more palatable include:

1. Serve Kale Raw: I am convinced this method really only works with very young leaves. Strip the leaves from the tough inner rib and tear the kale into bite sized pieces. If your leaves are very young, and the inner rib is still quite soft, then simply tear up the kale for your salad. Toss the leaves with your favourite dressing, although I advocate for a creamier dressing to balance the bitterness of the leaves.
2. Massage the Leaves: Sounds weird I know, but massaging the leaves helps remove any bitterness. It can also be quite therapeutic, so if you want to eat your kale raw then give this method a go.
3. Blanch The Leaves: Totally old school, but in my opinion the absolute best way to prepare kale. Kale is incredibly high in vitamins and minerals. So high that recommended daily allowances of Vitamin A and C, iron and calcium are still present in the leaves even after boiling kale for ten minutes. Boiling also removes strong and bitter compounds from the leaves, turning a tough chewy vegetable into something quite delicious. Turns out our grandparents were on to something after all.

• To blanch kale, bring a large pot of water to the boil, and fill the sink with cold water. Remove the thick central stalk, and plunge the leaves into the boiling water. Boil the leaves for about five minutes, then fish out the wilted leaves with tongs, allowing excess water to drip back into the pot. Plunge the kale into the cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, squeeze out the excess moisture and use the leaves as desired. I like to process a large amount of kale at once, then chop and freeze some of the wilted leaves for later use.

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Ingredient Substitutions for Spicy Kale Pesto

With a few simple changes you can make this simple kale pesto recipe your very own. Why not try:

• Using pine nuts or blanched almonds in place of the cashews.
• Replacing the Parmesan with a vegan substitute for a vegan pesto.
• Substituting a good bottled lemon juice for the fresh lemon juice.
• A sprinkle of chili flakes in place of the whole dry chili. Or omit the chili completely if your family are not fans of spice.
• Spinach leaves in place of the kale leaves. Although then you are making spinach pesto instead of kale pesto, but the end result will still be delicious.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kale Pesto

How long does kale pesto last? Kale pesto will last for at least a week in the fridge in a clean glass jar, or can be frozen for up to six months. I divide the pesto into meal-size portions, and pack it into good quality freezer safe containers to maximise my storage time.

How do you make vegan pesto? To make this kale pesto recipe vegan, simply replace the Parmesan cheese with a suitable fresh vegan Parmesan cheese substitute.

Can I freeze pesto with cheese in it? Yes you can. Cheese freezes very well, and freezing the cheese within the pesto does not adversely affect the texture of this recipe once defrosted.

How do you defrost pesto quickly? If I forget to defrost the pesto in advance, I submerge the pesto container in a large bowl or small sink of warm water. It defrosts quite quickly using this method.

Is pesto good for you? The answer to this one is completely dependent on your personal food philosophy, but in my opinion it is a resounding YES!

Tips & Tricks to make the most of my Kale Pesto recipe

This simple kale pesto recipe is very handy to have on hand for whipping up a speedy meal, so I just wanted to share a few simple tips and tricks I have discovered over the years:

1. If you manage to find some lovely young kale leaves, just blitz them straight into the pesto. If using older leaves though, I really recommend you blanch the leaves first using the instructions I have included above. Your pesto will taste better for it.
2. Store any leftover kale pesto in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for up to a week. This pesto does not brown like traditional basil pesto, so there is no need to pour a protective layer of olive oil over the top.
3. This recipe freezes brilliantly, and can be frozen for up to six months.
4. This pesto is quite thick. If you prefer a runnier consistency, add a little more olive oil.
5. My preferred way to use this handy recipe is to stir it through pasta. As the pesto is quite thick, I reserve a little of the cooking pasta water to thin out the sauce and help it coat the pasta evenly.
6. Try your kale pesto spread on crackers (or just eat it straight from the spoon) if you need a quick healthy snack.
7. I have only added a small amount of chilli to this recipe in deference to The Princess. Feel free to add more if you want a spicier version.
8. The Princess has on occasion used it as a spread in her sandwiches. I consider that the ultimate tick of approval.

Enjoy!

One year ago: A Really Useful Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe

Two years ago:

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Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below.

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Update notes: This post was originally published on 25th August 2014. It was updated on 31st August 2018 to include ingredient substitutions, frequently asked questions, nutritional analysis and additional tips for making the most of the recipe.