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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 (233g)

Recipe makes 4 servings

The following items or measurements are not included below:

5 black peppercorns

Calories 839
Calories from Fat 363 (43%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 40.4g 62%
Saturated Fat 7.8g 39%
Monounsaturated Fat 25.6g
Polyunsaturated Fat 5.1g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 11mg 3%
Sodium 605mg 25%
Potassium 446mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 96.0g 31%
Dietary Fiber 6.1g 24%
Sugars 3.2g
Protein 23.3g 46%

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Zesto Pesto

Recipe #116412 | 10 min | 10 min prep | add private note
evelyn/athens

By: evelyn/athens
Apr 12, 2005

OK, the name's silly, but this version of pesto is really good! The recipe makes enough to generously sauce 1 lb of your favourite pasta. Developed for RSC #6. (edited to add that this recipe eventually won Ready, Set, Cook! #6. I am so proud of this creation and all the favourable reviews it has received - thanks to all who have tried it.)

SERVES 4 , 1 lb of pasta (change servings and units)

Ingredients

Directions

  1. 1
    Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with salt and peppercorns.
  2. 2
    In a processor or blender, puree spinach with basil, oil, wine, cashews, Parmesan, lemon zest and garlic paste.
  3. 3
    The pesto keeps, covered with a thin film of olive oil and chilled, up to 2 weeks.
  4. 4
    This makes enough for 1 lb of pasta.

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Featured Reviews for This Recipe

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From: lemon-yellow

On Dec 5, 2008

Okay, let me confess that I was previously not the biggest Pesto fan. I thought it was okay. But no more...this is a great Pesto recipe! For my batch, I used several types of basil from our fall garden explosion, giving the end product a pretty green and purple dotted color. Spinach makes this pesto a bit less intense than some others, but seems to make the basil taste and smell even fresher. Cashews bump up the nutty flavor and texture, and I now like them more than pine nuts. I did make some minor changes. I added 1/4 cup of green olives, because I had a feeling that another layer of salty/sweet would work, and it did. I was out of white wine (argh!), so I substituted Sanpellegrino Limonata (Italian Lemon Soda). Next time I will make sure there is wine in the house before I start, but the Limonata did not hurt it a bit. In fact, it is probably a good non-alcoholic option. But wow, double the recipe if you want enough Pesto to make it to the pasta. Wandering spoons may cause it to mysteriously disappear. (FYI: a double recipe stuffs a Cuisinart to the brim.) By the way, Basil is very good for you. It's a great source of vitamin K, flavonoids, has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as being a natural anti-bacterial herb that can help make uncooked food (such as garden greens) safer to eat. 5+ stars. Thank you, evelyn/athens

2 people found this review helpful

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  • From: RecipeLeech

    On Oct 5, 2008

    This is delicious. I served it over Sea Scallops. It was a huge hit. Thanks for The Recipie!

    1 person found this review helpful

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    From: Sashasmom

    On Apr 5, 2005

    This was excellent. I served it one night as an appetizer on toasted baguette and the next evening I put it on pasta. Thanks for the great recipe!

    7 people found this review helpful

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  • From: Skipper/Sy

    On Mar 17, 2005

    For the RSC#6, 2005 contest I had made and reviewed 3 recipes out of 190 which were entered. Now from the semi-finalists listing I have chosen this recipe to be my 4th review. I rarely eat pesto, however, after making this recipe I am now a "Zesto Pesto Eater". It was very, very good and easy to make. I liked the green coloring of the linguine and crunchy cashews too. Also, since I am single I cut the ingredients in half and still had perfect results. Thanks for this tasty creation.

    7 people found this review helpful

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  • Read all 27 reviews

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