Dairy-free pesto

A Whole30 compliant, dairy-free pesto sauce that makes any meal come to life!

One thing I loved about my second Whole30 was all the new recipes I tried (and made my family eat!).  This recipe for dairy-free pesto came from one of those experiments and I just loved it so much, I wanted to share it with you.  This pesto is chunky and nutty all at once, and it’s awesome on chicken, turkey, beef, sweet potatoes, you name it!

Funny story – when I made this originally (recipe from Paleo Running Momma here), Henry kicked up a huge fuss, saying ‘you know I don’t like pesto’ and ‘I’m not going to eat this’.  When I gently explained to him that it was unlike any other pesto he may have eaten in the past, because I made it, he tried some.  During that meal he complained a few more times, but I noticed that one of the leftover chicken pieces was missing the following day when I came home, realizing that he had taken it for his lunch.  And he ate it.  And he enjoyed it.  He should trust me more!

So, if Henry, who is a self-proclaimed pesto hater, can eat this and like it, you know it’s got to be good!  Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!  Just a word of warning – if you don’t want to use fresh basil, and use one of those tubes of basil, it contains dairy … try to stick to fresh or dried basil if you need to stay away from dairy!

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Pesto

(Whole30, Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until a 'paste' forms. You may need to scrape down the sides a number of times to ensure all is mixed in.
2. Store in a covered container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.