This fun, green, Pesto Pasta dish is a great way to enjoy spinach. You can help an adult make it by measuring all the different ingredients and choosing your favourite veggie toppings.
2 cups fresh washed spinach (we use mugs to make extra for the fridge)
Half cup flat leaf parsley or basil, or a mix of both
Half cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping
2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Optional Toppings: chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped crispy bacon, peas, sweetcorn.
- Blot as much of the water from your spinach as possible, before measuring out 2 packed cups. Pop this into the blender with the parsley and/or basil, Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. Cut a lemon in half and add a good squeeze. Peel and crush the garlic into the blender, add the oil and put the lid on.
- Pulse for a few seconds and then blend on high speed until smooth, a couple of minutes.
- Try it! Season with salt and pepper and add extra lemon if needed. Depending on how well you packed your spinach into the cups may depend on how much oil you need, so add more to loosen if necessary.
- Cook your spaghetti or pasta to the pack instructions, clean up and find a jam jar for the spare pesto. Remove from the heat, drain the spaghetti/pasta and spoon in as much pesto as you need to cover your pasta well (the more you add the bigger your muscles will be!) and drizzle in some extra oil if needed.
- Spoon the spare pesto into a clean jam jar and top with a little extra oil to help it keep it the fridge.
- Mix in your extra favourite veggies and top with a little extra Parmesan and pine nuts.
If you make extra pesto, you can keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer!