Spinach Pesto

My family loves pasta! I love pesto too, but cannot afford to serve it all the time so I decided to play around with a recipe until I have one that works well for me. I like it mostly because it uses the stuff I already have on hand. I sometimes cut up a leftover chicken breast and mix that in with it. You could add just about anything you wanted, but it is simple, cheap and a good for you meal that works well on busy school nights.

Spinach Pesto

1 can spinach drained (Press in to strainer to drain well) or if fresh is on sale use about 2 cups of fresh

1-1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (Get your self a basil plant to save $$$)

1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan

1 cup grated Mozzarella (If it is already shredded and frozen it chops up well in processor)

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 heaping over teaspoons minced garlic (we like garlic)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( I didn’t have pine nuts and they are spendy!)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 cup olive oil

Place the first six ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add the salt, onion powder,walnuts, lemon juice and lemon pepper; cover and process until blended. Gradually add oil. Add more oil if needed.

Serve desired amount of pesto with pasta. Transfer remaining sauce to ice cube trays. Cover and freeze for up to 1 month.

Thaw out frozen pesto in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve with cooked hot pasta. We have been using whole wheat pasta. I make my own garlic bread to go with it and it is a hit with everyone! Even the three year old!

I also just cook all of it and make extra pasta then pop the rest in the freezer. This is a good quick meal!

Do you have a cheap pesto recipe?