Recipes

Watercress & Walnut Pesto

Watercress & Walnut Pesto

Pesto is one of the best ways to save wilting greens or herbs and that's exactly how the Watercress & Walnut Pesto came to life. Not only is it really easy to make, but it's also a dairy-free pesto recipe. You can really flex on the combinations you use, depending on what you have in the cupboard by switching up the greens you use, or the nuts.

The basic ingredients used in pesto are also jam-packed with health benefits and making this recipe from scratch means you get to avoid the random unheard of ingredients you'll find in some shop-bought jars of pesto.

Pesto - full of health boosting ingredients!Yes, that's the wilting watercress that rather than putting in the bin, I made into pesto!

Key Nutrients - Watercress & Walnut Pesto

Watercress: 

  • Rich in vitamin A, providing a good source of antioxidants.
  • Vitamin K is also found in watercress which is a nutrient essential for blood clotting and also bone health.

Walnuts:

  • The heart-healthy nut, promoting reduced levels of cholesterol.
  • Walnuts are one of the nuts highest in omega 3 fatty acids.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO):

  • The high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids in EVOO are beneficial in reducing cholesterol.
  • EVOO contains many phytochemicals and these are beneficial for their antioxidant actions.

Watercress & Walnut Pesto

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups watercress
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Pinch salt + pepper

Instructions

  • Heat a frying pan and dry roast the walnuts for a few minutes until lightly toasted.
  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until all ingredients are mixed together but not completely smooth, so you have some, chunky bits of nuts.
  • Store in the fridge for up to ¾ days. This pesto can be served with zuchinni noodles, pasta, salads or used as a spread.

Notes

Essential Equipment

Food processor/blender.

Tips

I use a standard cup measure. If you don’t have one you can use a mug and substitute the amount for ¾ of a standard size mug.

Find your Ingredients

Watercress, garlic, lemon - fruit &  vegetable aisle
Walnuts - baking aisle
Extra virgin olive oil - dry goods/oils aisle

Course Main Dish

Pesto - full of health boosting ingredients!

If you like this easy pesto recipe, you might also like to try these;

 

Amy Savage is a qualified Nutritionist with a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutritional & Dietetic Medicine and is available for consultations online and in Sydney CBD. Email amy@amysavagenutrition.com for further details. 

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257681/

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