Pasta with Leafy Greens Pesto

Leafy greens pesto using spinach, arugula, and/or watercress is a lighter, greener sauce for easy pasta dishes like this one; it’s also good on warm potatoes, potato salads, grain pilafs, and more. Pesto pasta with vegetables is a fantastic choice for an easy weeknight meal!

I’ve always preferred pesto sauce that combines herbs with spinach or other leafy greens to basil-only pesto, which can be overpowering. 

Another downside is that it turns brown all too quickly. Instead, I offer you this lovely and simple pasta with a leafy greens pesto that you can enjoy all year round.

Leafy greens recommended for pesto

For this recipe I recommend baby spinach, arugula, watercress, or a combination.

My favorite way to make this is half and half with the spinach and one of the others, which add a peppery flavor to the dish. See this site’s Guide to Arugula and Guide to Watercress.

If you’ve come here to find a standalone leafy greens pesto recipe, you might like this easy and delicious arugula pesto.

Serving suggestions for pasta with leafy greens pesto

• For an easy warm-weather dinner, serve this lovely pasta with leafy greens pesto with a simple bean dish or bean salad.
• Or. toss together a salad of diced ripe tomatoes, chickpeas, and cucumbers dressed in lemon juice and little olive oil. Add fresh corn on the cob or grill-cooked vegetables for a larger meal.

More ways to use leafy greens pesto

Though this pesto makes a lovely uncooked sauce for summer pasta, don’t stop there. Try it as a tasty topping for sautéed potatoes or as an offbeat dressing for potato salad, ladled onto cooked grains, or as a garnish for cold soups. 

Explore more …

• Baby spinach recipes
• Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta
• Corn and Potatoes with Parsley Pesto

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Yield: 4

Pasta with Leafy Greens Pesto

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Basil-only pesto can be overpowering and turns brown all too quickly. Try this leafy greens-packed pesto instead!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 ounces pasta, your favorite shape (see notes)

Pesto:

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed, optional
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh or bottled
• 1/2 cup walnut halves (see notes)
• 6 ounces baby spinach, arugula, or watercress, or a combination
• 1/2 cup basil or parsley leaves, or more, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup steamed fresh or frozen green peas, optional

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, then drain and transfer to a serving container.
2. Combine all the ingredients except the salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse on and off until the mixture is a coarse, even puree. You may need to add the spinach in batches if your processor has a small or medium-sized container.
3. Stop the machine and season gently with salt and pepper; taste to see if you’d like to add more lemon juice, then pulse a few times to mix.
4. Transfer the pesto to the serving container and toss with the pasta. Stir into hot cooked pasta or use as suggested above in the headnote.
5. Just before serving, stir in the peas, if you'd like.

Notes

Use any long shape like spaghetti or linguini, or any short chunky shape like mini-penne, farfalle, or rotelle.

Substitute 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios or 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts for the walnuts, or omit nuts if you’d like a less caloric pesto.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 14 ggSodium: 68 mgmgCarbohydrates: 59 ggFiber: 9 ggProtein: 15 gg

See lots more recipes for pasta and noodles.