Basil Spinach Pesto and Cream Sauce Recipe

I made some Basil Spinach Pesto the other day and froze it in baby food jars.  Well, maybe they were artichoke jars….but you get the picture. 

I have seen it frozen in ice cube trays, which is an awesome idea too.  It doesn’t take much Basil Pesto added to a dish, so I only froze these in 1/4 cup servings.

Basil Spinach Pesto and Cream Sauce

My goal was Asparagus Lasagna with Basil Pesto Cream Sauce (oh, my, my)…..but you will have to wait for that recipe until later. 

Today, I thought I would share the pesto recipe and the cream sauce recipe.   

You might also like: Scalloped Potatoes Recipe with Cheesy Bechamel Sauce

Basil Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 cup Fresh Basil
• 1 cup Fresh Spinach (chopped)
• 1 cup Pecans (pine nuts)
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorrino Romano or Kraft Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 garlic Cloves
• 1/4 cup Oil
• 1/4 cup Melted Butter

Instructions:

• Toast the pecans in a skillet. In a food processor, chop your pecans and vegetables.
• Add in your oil, seasonings and butter. You can use 1/2 cup of oil and no butter, if you prefer.
• Also, most people use pine nuts but I live on a pecan orchard…..so I always use pecans in everything. Pine nuts are expensive, thought tasty……but I can’t tell that much difference.
• Store extra in the freezer

Basil Pesto Cream Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup Cream or Half and Half
• 1/2 block (4 oz.) cream cheese
• 1 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg (if possible)
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 pinches Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4-1/2 cup Basil Spinach Pesto (depending on your tastes)    

Instructions:

• Make your cream sauce by melting the butter and adding the flour to that. 
• Stir until smooth and add in the milk. 
• Stir until smooth and add in the cream. 
• Let it thicken. 
• Add the cream cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano (or Peccorino Romano). 
• I actually splurged and used my Parmigiano Reggiano that I purchased in Parma, Italy.  Yum!
• After it is a good consistency, add the seasonings and the Basil Spinach Pesto. 
• Stir and serve over warm pasta. 
• I used several colorful vegetables again and sauteed some ham to go in it. 
• Seems I must like that combo since that is what I used in the Fettuccini I made for church the other day.   

Here are some more Basil and Pesto recipes that you might like!

• Asparagus Lasagna with a Basil Spinach Pesto Recipe!
• Garlic Basil Chicken Recipe
• Shrimp & Pesto Pasta Recipe

Popeye was right about spinach: dark green, leafy vegetables are the healthiest food on the planet. As whole foods go, they offer the most nutrition per calorie.

Michael Greger

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