Garlic Scape Kale Pesto

I found some garlic scapes at the farmers market and had an abundance of kale in our garden. So I created this simple and easy recipe for garlic scape pesto with kale. Enjoy!

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This pesto is:

• easy to make
• vegan
• nut-free
• dairy-free
• and oh so garlicky!

What do you need to make Garlic Scape Pesto?

Pesto is usually made with basil, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic and salt. Without nuts, it might be called pistou instead, which is typically made with basil, olive oil, garlic and salt.

To make this pesto recipe, you will need garlic scapes, kale leaves, olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt.

Garlic scapes are the flower stalks on hardneck garlic. Hardneck garlic varieties have a thick firm stalk in the middle of the bulb, thus the name “hardneck”. The garlic scape is usually cut off to allow the plant to focus on growing the garlic bulb. They are usually available in late spring and taste just like garlic. Read this for more information on garlic scapes.

Kale is one of the most nutritious cruciferous vegetables around. It is high in lutein, and excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese and copper.¹

I love growing kale in our backyard garden because it’s easy to grow from seed and very hardy. It can even last till after the first frost.

Use extra virgin olive oil.

How do you make Garlic Scape Kale Pesto?

In a food processor or blender (I used my Vitamix), add the olive oil, garlic scapes, kale, lemon juice and salt.

Process throughly until everything is mixed well.

That’s all there is to it! So easy to make, right? Enjoy this with pasta, as a dip, in soups, or with some eggs.

How are you going to enjoy this pesto?

Please leave a comment or rating below and let me know how you liked it!

Try my other recipes too:

• Fermented Salsa
• Squash and Kale in Coconut Milk

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1. “Kale”, Kale, Whfoods.org, www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38