Quick & Easy Mint Pesto

I’ve been buying a spicy mint chimichurri at the farmer’s market lately that I’ve been putting on everything from salads, sandwiches, to tacos, to curry. It’s GOOD.

I thought it was about time to recreate a version of that and while this one isn’t spicy you could definitely spice it up by adding in a serrano pepper.

Don’t be intimidated by the mint flavor if you’re not used to pairing it with savory dishes as it goes with just about anything, especially lamb. You can use almonds or feel free to swap them out for pine nuts or even macadamia nuts. Sunflower seeds also work well for a nut-free pesto.

Step-by-step

1. Place the mint, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and lemon zest in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely minced. With the machine running slowly stream in the olive oil.

   

2. Season with salt to taste. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze in small manageable portions (e.g. in an ice cube tray) for up to 3 months.

   

Recipe

Quick & Easy Mint Pesto

★★★★★4.8 (4 ratings)

Simple dairy-free pesto made with fresh mint, garlic, lemon zest, almonds and olive oil. Perfect with lamb ...

Hands on

5m

Overall

5m

Servings

20

0.6 g

Net carbs

0.5 g

Protein

8.9 g

Fat

84

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings20 servings40 servings60 servings80 servings

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Ingredients makes about 1 ¹/₄ cups/ 300 ml

• 2 cups packed mint leaves (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup slivered almonds or sunflower seeds (25 g/ 0.9 oz)
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• zest of ¹/₂ lemon (about 1 tsp)
• ³/₄ cup olive oil (180 ml/ 6 fl oz)
• sea salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• Optional: 1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeds and veins removed

Instructions

1. Place the mint, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and lemon zest in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely minced. With the machine running slowly stream in the olive oil.

2. Season with salt to taste. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze in small manageable portions (e.g. in an ice cube tray) for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, 1 tbsp/ 15 g/ 0.5 oz

Carbs 3%Protein 2%Fat 95% of calories

Net carbs

0.6 g

Total carbs

1.1 g

Fiber

0.6 g

Sugars

0.1 g

Protein

0.5 g

Fat

8.9 g

Saturated fat

1.2 g

Calories

84 kcal

Sodium

60 mg · 2.62% RDA

Magnesium

8 mg · 1.94% RDA

Potassium

39 mg · 1.96% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 tbsp/ 15 g/ 0.5 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Mint, fresh	0.3 g	0.2 g	0 g	4
Almonds, nuts, blanched and slivered	0.1 g	0.3 g	0.7 g	8
Garlic, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lemon zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	8.1 g	72
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	0.6 g	0.5 g	8.9 g	84

Serving size 1 tbsp/ 15 g/ 0.5 oz

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Vegetarian
• Vegan