Creative Pesto

Pesto is a fantastic way to use up a large amount of greens before they go bad, but don’t feel like you need to confine yourself to basil and spinach! Leftover asparagus also plays nicely with a typical pesto recipe. Use this recipe as a template for trying out different raw or lightly steamed veggies as the base for your own pestos!

Asparagus Pesto

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Did you know that pesto can be made not only with just about any green, but with a wide variety of vegetables? Asparagus is the superstar in this recipe, and just like any other pesto, you can make it last longer by freezing it.

Servings: 8 (88 g )

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 25 min.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • ⅓ cup sliced almonds
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ⅓ cup olive oil

Directions

  1. Cook asparagus in boiling water for 4-6 minutes, until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and drain.
  2. Cool and chop asparagus.
  3. Add all ingredients except reserved liquid to a food processor and process until well blended, drizzling in the reserved cooking liquid to reach desired texture.
  4. Use in place of pesto in any recipe.