Popeye's Pesto

If there's one thing I love, it's a quick and easy dinner! And with my son on the way, something tells me I'm going to love simple dinners all the more. This recipe not only meets the need for a quick-made dinner, but it is both delicious and nutritious! The recipe itself actually takes a little time to make. But it will spare you lots of time with future dinners.

Here's the glory of this recipe: it is a sauce that you can make and freeze. That way, if you want a delicious dinner in minutes, all you have to do is take the sauce out of the freezer in the morning, and when you're ready to cook dinner, simply heat up some pasta and mix in the sauce. That's it! You don't even have to heat up the sauce. It warms up just by the heat of the cooked pasta. I have used this recipe many times when I have had last-minute guests stop by for dinner and it has saved me a lot of stress and panic. It's as simple as cooking up a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese except that it's way healthier and tastier.

There are two variations to this pesto recipe. One way you can make it is by using basil leaves only, using 3 cups of basil leaves total. That will give you a classic pesto sauce. The variation I have created uses a combination of basil leaves and spinach leaves. This not only sneaks in some more healthy vegetables into your dinner (for all those picky eaters out there), but it also cuts down the cost of supplies. Buying a bag of spinach is way cheaper than buying a ton of fresh basil leaves. By combining the two greens, you cut your cost of supplies down significantly while still maintaining that classic pesto taste.

So here is my spinach pesto recipe, or as my brother has coined it: "Popeye's Pesto." I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Popeye's Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup of fresh basil leaves
2 cups of spinach leaves
4 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups pine nuts or walnuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Process basil, spinach, garlic, and nuts together in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. With machine running, pour in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Add the cheese and salt. Process until fully blended and smooth. Pour the pesto into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Or freeze in an air tight container until ready to use. My mom would often freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray. Once the cubes of pesto were completely frozen, she would transfer them into a gallon freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until ready to use. That way, you don't have to defrost the entire batch each time you want some pesto. You can simply remove a few cubes from the bag and keep the rest in the freezer.

*There is actually one other variation to this recipe that you can do to make a unique and savory sauce. Rather than using basil or spinach in this recipe, substitute with fresh sage leaves. Sage pesto has a rich flavor that goes great with any poultry. Mix in with scrambled eggs and Swiss cheese. Or spread on top of raw chicken breasts before baking in an oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until cooked all the way through.