Spinach Parsley Pesto
on Jan 30, 2015, Updated Mar 17, 2025
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A great, versatile change up from regular basil pesto, with a very fresh and delicate taste.
I love pestos for their versatility. Having a little jar of pesto in the fridge means you can perk up a soup, make an appetizer, or dress up a simple piece of chicken or fish, all in seconds. The most basic, traditional pesto usually involves basil, Parmesan, olive oil, sometimes nuts, and salt and pepper. But home cooks and chefs everywhere have long wandered outside of those parameters; this pesto features parsley and spinach and tastes wonderfully fresh and “green.” You can also check out the variations for simple parsley pesto or a straight-up spinach pesto.
Think about dolloping this pesto on some very simple marinated and Grilled Chicken Breasts or roasted carrots or using it as the pesto in Cavatappi with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto. Try making these Smoked Salmon crostini with this Spinach Parsley Pesto blended into the creme fraiche. Or spread the pesto inside garlic bread before baking.
Table of Contents
Pesto actually means “to pound” or “to crush,” referring to the original utensil used to make pestos: a mortar and wooden pestle. The pesto ingredients were ground, kind of pounded, with the pestle in the mortar, using a circular motion.
This is how they made pesto not only back in the day in Italy but still today in traditional kitchens. I also just went to Japan for the first time and saw the most beautiful mortars and pestles there, proving that all over the world, people like to grind and crush spices and other ingredients.
Ingredients
- Garlic – For a bit of a zingy spiciness, read the note in variations if you are not a fan of garlic.
- Scallions – For a very mild onion-y flavor.
- Parsley – Parsley has a wonderful herbaceous, earthy, and slightly peppery flavor.
- Spinach – Spinach has a very mild flavor and will balance out all the other flavors in the pesto.
- Pine nuts – pine nuts add a nice nuttiness to the pesto, but if you are allergic, you can always skip them or replace them with a seed such as pumpkin seeds.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – This offers a creamy and rich consistency.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
- Parmesan cheese – Fresh Parmesan will add a bit of saltiness and help all the ingredients meld together.
Variations
If the sharpness of raw garlic is too much for the taste buds of your people, try this: chop the garlic and sauté it in the olive oil in a small pan over very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, just until it is soft and golden but not browned. This will take some of the bite out. Cool, then proceed with the recipe. Use the garlic-infused oil in this recipe, or save it for other recipes.
Spinach Pesto
Use double the amount of spinach and skip the parsley for a plain spinach pesto. Or cut the rest of the ingredients in half, and only use the 2 cups spinach.
Parsley Pesto
Using all parsley will produce a pesto with a very pronounced herbal flavor. Either double the amount of parsley and omit the spinach, or cut the rest of the ingredients in half and only use the 2 cups parsley.
How to Make Spinach Parsley Pesto
- Combine in food processor: Place the garlic, scallions, parsley, and spinach in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Add the pine nuts, if using, the oil, salt, and pepper, and process.
- Add Parmesan and finish: Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan.
Storage
This Spinach Parsley Pesto will last for about 5 days when tightly sealed in the fridge. The same for Spinach Pesto or Parsley Pesto.
This pesto and all of its variations freeze up beautifully! Just prepare the pesto as instructed, but wait to add the Parmesan. You can freeze it in greased ice cube trays, and when you are ready for a single serving, thaw it in the fridge overnight and mix in the Parmesan. The pesto will stay good in the freezer for up to 5 months.
How to Use Spinach Parsley Pesto
Check out 10 Things to Make with Leftover Pesto
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Spinach Parsley Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup minced scallions
- 2 cups packed parsley leaves
- 2 cups packed roughly chopped fresh spinach
- ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse or kosher and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- ⅔ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the garlic, scallions, parsley, and spinach in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is roughly chopped (or use a mortar and pestle). Add the pine nuts, if using, the oil, and salt and pepper and process, scraping down the sides, part way through, until everything is well blended.
- At this point, for best texture, you should transfer the pesto to a small bowl or container before stirring in the Parmesan, but you are welcome to throw the cheese into the food processor and pulse to blend.
Notes
- If the sharpness of raw garlic is too much for the taste buds of your people, try this: chop the garlic and saute it in the olive oil in a small pan over very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, just until it is soft and golden but not browned. This will take some of the bite out. Cool, then proceed with the recipe.
- Spinach Pesto: Use double the amount of spinach and skip the parsley for a plain spinach pesto. Or cut the rest of the ingredients in half, and only use the 2 cups spinach.
- Parsley Pesto: Using all pesto will produce a pesto with a very pronounced herbal flavor. Either double the amount of parsley and omit the spinach, or cut the rest of the ingredients in half and only use the 2 cups parsley.
- This pesto will last for about 5 days when tightly sealed in the fridge. The same for Spinach Pesto or Parsley Pesto.
- This pesto freezes beautifully! Just prepare the pesto as instructed, but wait to add the parmesan. You can freeze it in greased ice cube trays, and when you are ready for a single serving, thaw it in the fridge overnight and mix in the Parmesan. The pesto will stay good in the freezer for up to 5 months.
If I make several bottles do I refrigerate or freeze for future use. How long can it be refrigerated and/or frozen?
Pesto is a great ingredient to have on hand in the freezer! I’ve always make a big batch the base sauce without the Parmesan, then freeze serving-sized discs in muffin tins… Bag it, and add a disc or two to drained pasta in the original pasta pot over low heat, and add the Parm. I’ve used various pesto recipes this way up to 6 months past the original freeze date, and it makes meals incredibly quick!
1st time making pesto. I did mix some sesame oil with olive oil. I’ll be sure to save this recipe! Turned out delicious!
Made half recipe for us today while making dogs food. Yes they love herbs too, This will be great on our salmon filets tonight. I pour extra olive oil on top and freeze rest