Cilantro Pesto

Pin itFollow us 148.4k

Cilantro. There, I’ve said it. Now I’ll just sit back and wait for the two opposing sides to battle it out.

I get it, if you’re one of those people genetically hardwired to not like cilantro, it tastes like soap to you. This is probably not the recipe for you.

But to me? Cilantro is fresh and peppery and has an unidentifiable… something, that makes it irresistible.

This pesto is a fresh take on an old classic and I love the way the toasted almonds and pepitas pair with the cilantro to create a super fresh, yet nutty and cheesy tasting pesto. Serve it as a dip, toss it through zoodles or eat it out of the jar with a spoon.

Nutritional values (per serving, tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz)

Ingredients (makes ~ 1 ³/₄ cups)

• large bunch of fresh cilantro, tops not stem (125 grams/ 4.5 oz)
• 1 clove garlic
• juice from lime (3 tbsp/ 45 ml)
• ¹/₂ cup slivered almonds (54 g/ 1.9 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pumpkin seeds/ pepitas (65 g/ 2.3 oz)
• 6 tbsp grated Parmesan (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• Optional: salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Toast the almonds in a dry fry pan until just browned and fragrant.
2. Place almonds into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until broken up.
3. Add cilantro, garlic, pepitas and lime juice and pulse until well combined.
4. Add parmesan and pulse again until mixed through. With the motor running, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture ... ... until it is combined.
5. Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze in ice cube trays to add to dishes.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Coriander (cilantro), fresh
0 g	0.1 g	0 g	1 kcal
Garlic, fresh
0 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Lime juice, fresh
0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0 kcal
Almonds, nuts (whole, unblanched)
0.2 g	0.4 g	0.9 g	11 kcal
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
0.1 g	0.7 g	1.1 g	12 kcal
Parmesan cheese
0 g	0.4 g	0.3 g	4 kcal
Olive oil, extra virgin
0 g	0 g	3.7 g	33 kcal
Total per serving, tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz
0.5 g	1.5 g	6 g	62 kcal

Pin itFollow us 148.4k