Spaghetti Squash with Parsley and Kale Pesto

Welcome and happy new year! Let’s start this year with a delicious and healthy recipe.

As you may all have heard, kale is an ongoing food trend found on so many menus. I love the fact that it is also extremely nutritious; it is very rich in vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and rich in iron, and multiple B vitamins. Also, to replace the high carb pasta, I’ve replaced it with spaghetti squash to increase the nutritional profile of the dish. It’s very simple to make and delicious to eat.

Spaghetti Squash with Parsley & Kale Pesto

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

1 Spaghetti Squash
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds.
Drizzle olive oil over halved squash and sprinkle chili flakes, salt and pepper.
Place on baking sheet, open side up and bake for an hour until soft, flipping over halfway through.
Use fork to pull fibers off of the peel.

Parsley and Kale Pesto

Now I know that pesto is traditionally made with basil but I decided to boost the nutrient content and use parsley and kale instead. Here are the nutritional values of basil and parsley side by side for comparison.

Basil Parsley

Ingredients

100g parsley leaves
50 g kale leaves
3 garlic cloves
1 lemon, juiced
¾ cup parmesan, grated
¾ cup almonds, toasted
1/2 cup olive oil

Blender Method

In food blender, add parsley, kale and garlic. Chop until small pieces form.
Add lemon juice and chop the herbs into smaller pieces.
Incorporate parmesan and almonds until paste forms.
Slowly pour olive oil into food processor to create an emulsion and stop at desired thickness.
Season to taste.

Food Processor Method – Under 2 minutes

I own the Breville Sous Chef food processor; it comes with multiple blades that allow for different cuts, which is time efficient for recipes like these. It took me under 2 minutes to make this pesto.

Using the small grating blade, grate the parmesan and set aside.
Using the large chopping blade, chop the parsley, garlic and kale approximately 20 seconds until garlic is minced.
Add the lemon juice and continue.
Incorporate parmesan and toasted almonds.
To finish, pour the olive oil while the blender is on to create an emulsion. I usually add a little under 1/2 cup because I like my pesto to be thick and pasty.
Season to taste

Don’t worry about overfilling the food processor at first. As they get broken down, the herbs will take up less space in the machine.