Paul's Favorite Spinach-Walnut Pesto

Northern Cook's Note:

I got this recipe from my brother-in-law - - it is his signature dish. I know he got the original recipe from a cookbook, but I do not know the name of the book. The pesto has an intense green color and a pleasingly bold flavor. Serve over thin to regular spaghetti noodles. Also, this pesto freezes very well.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 ¼ cups spinach leaves , packed and stemmed
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup romano cheese or 1 cup parmesan cheese , grated
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Scrape sides of bowl from time to time. Process continuously until the sauce is smooth.
2. If the pesto is too thick, add a little hot water and pulse again.
3. At this point, you can either freeze the pesto for future use or toss immediately with prepared, hot spaghetti noodles.
4. Serve with crusty bread and a good white wine.

Reviews

[Chef #1349753]

I really liked this, and found that it works very well with only 1/2 cup of olive oil. I even added more spinach to get the consistency that I wanted. Perhaps variations are due to ingredients ... type of cheese, walnuts, etc. It's delicious and now I know how to use up our surplus spinach. Thanks.

[Chef #1420793]

I merged Rachel Ray's and this recipe together, (one batch of each) . Delicious! There is more oil and cheese in Paul's , and I always add an extra clove or two of garlic.

[Chef #1361103]

This is now one of my very favorite recipes. I tried it a week ago and just made the second batch last night.