Swiss Chard Pesto (GF & Vegan)

I often find myself with a good amount of Swiss or rainbow chard in my refrigerator and wrote this quick recipe as a way to use up any chard that gets a bit sad and wilted before I can get around to it. This pesto is great on pasta with roasted vegetables, as a dollop on top of soup, smothered on a batch of roasted potatoes, drizzled over scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms & a side salad, or as an addition to any meat dish. This recipe is versatile, so if you don’t happen to have chard on hand, but have kale or spinach, feel free to swap them out, you just might have to tweak the quantity a bit. Chard is loaded with healthy fiber, vitamins K, A, & C, magnesium, potassium, & iron. Here is the nutritious homemade pesto recipe below…

Servings: Makes about 8-10 servings, can freeze for later use.

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil (best to choose a nice tasting olive oil that you like)

-2 cups chard leaves, stems removed & leaves chopped

-3-4 garlic cloves (to taste)

-1-2 packed cups of basil leaves (depending on your desired taste)

-1/2 cup pecans (raw pecans can be used, but I like to lightly toast mine in a pan first for added flavor)

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 lemon, juice & zest

-3/4 cup grated high quality parmesan cheese, or 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (if vegan or dairy-free)

-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

-Additional salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

-Add a drizzle of olive oil to a medium pan, over medium heat.

-Add garlic & chard, sautéing until the chard leaves wilt, about 5 minutes.

-Add all ingredients, including sautéed chard & garlic once slightly cooled, to your food processor or blender until the mixture becomes a nice purée.

-Taste and adjust seasoning as you please with added oil, basil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, or pepper. Everyone likes their pesto a little bit different, so play around until it feels right to you!

If you don’t have pecans, you can substitute with walnuts or even try pistachios. If you place the pesto in a small bowl & top with extra olive oil & red pepper flakes, this can also be a dip for crudités. Get creative, enjoy, & let me know how you end up using this recipe!

For your health,

Lily