We love pesto. It adds so much flavour to any dish, like pasta, sandwiches, salmon and pizza. Not only is pesto so good but it’s incredibly easy to make. This kale, basil hemp seed pesto is nutritious, fresh, nut free, and oh so good.
My girls always ask for pesto pasta in their school lunches, however, traditional pesto uses pine nuts which is not safe for kids who have nut allergies. I decided to experiment and substitute the pine nuts for hemp hearts. I also had some kale and decided to through it in the blender too. Guess what, we couldn’t tell the difference. You can store this in an air tight container in the fridge for 1 week or freezer.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup of curly kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 1 heaping handful of basil
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup of hemp hearts
- 2 garlic cloves
- juice of 1 large lemon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a food processor place all ingredients and pulse until well combined. Taste and season with salt to your liking.
Notes
if you find pesto too thick add 1/4 cup for an extra kick try adding 1 tsp of red chilli flakes
Hemp seeds are great substitute to pine nuts, not only are they nut free but they are a great source of omega -3 fatty acids. This kale hemp seed pesto is perfect for school lunches or summer camps which restrict nuts. Miss Q was pretty excited to have pesto pasta in her lunch.
Enjoy!
