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All-Purpose 5-Veggie Pesto Sauce

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Have you ever wanted to get your veggies in but wanted a bowl of creamy pasta or a slice of pizza more?

Enter my 30-minute, 10-ingredient, veggie-loaded pesto sauce.

Typical pesto sauces are nut and oil-heavy and have a serving size of like, 2 tablespoons. Who can seriously eat a bowl of pasta with just 2 tablespoons of pesto? Making a richer pesto normally requires cream or butter, so as a dairy-free eater, that’s out the door for me. I wanted to make a pesto sauce that’s rich and buttery without any dairy, and that I could spoon onto pasta or flatbread in heaping spoonfuls without worrying about using all my calories for the day.

In this recipe, zucchini, broccoli, kale and garlic are cooked down with a little veggie broth on the stove top and blended with loads of parsley, basil and walnuts to form a creamy, herby pesto sauce that is mostly just simmered vegetables.

I could see this being used on pasta, flatbreads, roasted vegetables or meat skewers, slathered on grilled fish, or really anywhere you want to trick yourself and your loved ones into eating way more veggies than anticipated.

You can even freeze extras in a mason jar and thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator the next time you need a healthy flavor boost on a dish.

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All-Purpose 5-Veggie Pesto Sauce

Zucchini, broccoli, kale and garlic are cooked down and blended with loads of parsley, basil and walnuts to form a creamy, herby pesto sauce that is secretly really healthy (vegan, paleo and Whole30 compliant, too).

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Farm to Table, Italian, Paleo, Vegan, Whole30
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 201 kcal
Author melanie

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp garlic
  • 3 zucchini
  • 1 1/2 cups broccoli
  • 2 cups kale stems removed
  • 1/4 cup vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup basil fresh
  • 1 1/2 cup parsley fresh
  • 1 1/2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a skillet over medium heat

  2. Add 2 tbsps garlic, saute until golden-brown (about 2 minutes)

  3. Chop zucchini into 1/2 inch slices, add to skillet and cover for 10 minutes

  4. Add 1/4 cup stock, 1.5 cups broccoli, 2 cups kale to skillet, cover and let simmer on medium-low for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally

  5. While vegetables simmer, add 1/2 cup walnuts to food processor and pulse. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil until a butter-like consistency is formed.

  6. Add 1/2 cup basil, 1 1/2 cups parsley to food processor and turn on, stopping to scrape down edges periodically until completely blended

  7. Add juice of 1 1/2 lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/3 of vegetable mixture to food processor and blend. Add remaining vegetables 1 cup at a time until a rich sauce is formed.