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Spinach and Pea Pesto

An easy recipe for spinach and pea pesto.

A dollop of Spinach and Pea Pesto on a white spoon



SPINACH AND PEA PESTO

This is my easy recipe for spinach and pea pesto. A healthy dip or sauce for pasta.

I love pesto and I have started introducing it into my baby's diet too as he is at the weaning stage.

Take a basic pesto and add some spinach and peas to it and you have a powerhouse of nutrients. Just right for baby or kids and adults come to that.

ADDING NUTS TO DISHES FOR CHILDREN AND TODDLERS


Only add nuts to your pesto if you know your baby or toddler does not have an allergy to nuts.

I tested my son out by giving him a little peanut butter when he was 10 months old.

We don't have any nut allergies in the family, so I felt confident enough to try it out. If you do have a history of allergies in the family, it may be better to make the pesto without the nuts)

I do make a couple of changes to his portion. I use less garlic as he can find it a bit overpowering and I add a spoonful of cream soft cheese and he loves it.

A child after his mother's heart.

Of course, I have to keep checking it to make sure it is perfect. Just a spoonful and another and another....... Yum!

It is gorgeous!


print recipe

Spinach & Pea Pesto
The perfect pesto for you and your little ones.
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup frozen peas (I prefer petit pois as they are sweeter)
  • 1 cup blanched baby spinach
  • 1 large handful fresh basil
  • ½ cup grated parmesan (veggie or vegan)
  • ½ cup unsalted cashew nuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Simply add all your ingredients to a food processor and whizz.

Pesto is one of those things that isn't an exact science, so you can add less garlic, more olive oil, less or more cheese. Just taste it and adjust it until it has the right texture and the flavour you like.

You can also add cream cheese for a creamy sauce.

It is just gorgeous!
Details
Total time: Yield: 2 cups of pesto


23 comments

  1. Ooh, I bet that pesto is good, what a great idea and it still looks lovely and green.

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  2. Oh, I forgot to say I put a sqeeze of lemon in, whoops! Glad you mentioned the colour Choclette, off to correct that.

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  3. Fantastic pesto ... lucky Cooper!

    Having a very hard time deciding which snowy picture to submit to No Croutons Required!

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  4. Lots of lovely pictures Brownieville Girl, glad you are going to submit one :)

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  5. good one ! -loved the clicks n will try it out !

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  6. That looks so good. Of course, not having a baby in the house, I would have to put lots and lots of garlic in it.

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  7. I am a HUGE fan of pesto's and I really like the sound of pea and spinach. Yum! Connor is a lucky little lad ;0)

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  8. Pesto is divine - I love the idea of putting some philly in it too! Very noble of you to be such a thorough taste tester!

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  9. Cooper is a foodie in the making Jacqueline.In the days when my daughter was young I didn't even make pesto.

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  10. I adore a home made pesto... I tend to do a 'garden pesto' in the summer where i just pull all the herbs out of the garden and mix them up with pine nuts and garlic... genius way to get that instant condensed herb flavour!

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  11. anything with peas in is a hit in my world!

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  12. Hmm...peas in the pesto. I like it.

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  13. Hope you enjoy it Priya :)

    Of course Claire, lots of garlic :)

    Hi CC, Yes, testing the baby's food is a hard job, but someone has to do it, hehe!

    He is quite good at trying new flavours Val, but occasionally he just shuts his mouth and shakes his head and this can be for something he loved the last time he tried it. Go figure!

    Your garden pesto sounds wonderful Dom, mmmmmmmm :P

    It is just so good TB and quite, quite different in flavour from standard basil pesto.

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  14. I can see echoes of your pea pesto here - sounds delicious and nutritious

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  15. Sounds absolutely delicious! Love this pesto combination!

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  16. What a yummy pesto recipe! I love the combination of spinach and peas.

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  17. Oh my goodness - I am so glad I'm not the only one thinking pesto is a yummy thing to give a baby! I will have to try this once. My daughter really likes my Cilantro Pesto too. I think it's a great way to introduce some stronger flavored herbs :)

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    1. Hi Katja, I will check out your pesto. It sounds good too. You have just reminded me I haven't made some of this pesto for a while and I have spinach in the fridge, so that is dinner sorted :)

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  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  19. I keep meaning to try pea pesto but never seem to get round to it.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x