Every winter, we overwinter spinach and lettuce in our garden. It is my favorite time to garden, because you have food all winter long and there is very little maintenance. We always keep one of our raised beds full of spinach and lettuce. There is nothing like picking your salad before you eat it! Here are some pictures of our red leaf lettuce and spinach this year.
Aren’t leafy veggies gorgeous? Spinach is an especially awesome veggie to grow in a winter garden, because it is a ‘cut and come again’ veggie. It will continue to grow back, which provides a steady supply of spinach for months. I love spinach many different ways, and also like experimenting with it. This pesto is one of my favorite spinach dishes, and it is a quick and healthy part of a dish or dip/spread for the entire family. We love it on pasta and on pita bread. I hope you love it as much as we do. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. spinach
- 1 medium clove of garlic
- 2 oz. pine nuts (about 1/3 cup)
- 2.5 oz. Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Dry roast the pine nuts over medium heat until they start turning golden brown (watch them closely and stir/flip often). When done, set aside and let slightly cool. Roughly chop the Romano cheese and garlic, and set aside.
- Place half the spinach and olive oil in a food processor and run until it begins to break down. Add the remaining spinach and olive oil, and garlic. Run the processor again until it begins to break down (if you have a small food processor, you may have to do this in 3 or 4 phases). Add the pine nuts and cheese and 1/2 tsp. salt, and run until it is completely smooth and pureed. Adjust salt to taste.
I am excited to bring my spinach pesto to Fiesta Friday #153!
I never thought of making spinach pesto. Great idea. I wish our garden would winter over, Antonia, but no such luck. The kale hangs in there for a long time. Kale pesto?? Ha ha. Thanks for the recipe. Sounds delish!
Thank you Diana! My husband made row covers. We have metal rods he bent that fit over the gardens, and then we cover them when the temps are below freezing. It can withstand very cold temperatures. You just have to be diligent about covering and uncovering. Interesting…I may have to try it out 😉 Have a wonderful day!
I totally love spinach in all its forms. Spinach pesto is one of my favourites too, so looking forward to making your recipe 🙂
Me too Lynne! Awesome, I hope you enjoy it 😀 Have a great rest of your day 😀
I’ve never had spinach pesto! It looks lovely as does your lettuce and spinach garden!
It is really good and a great way to get more spinach in your diet. Thank you Deborah, you are very kind 😀 I love how pretty lettuce can be, it is like a flower. Have a wonderful end to your week!
Thank you! You have a fabulous week-end too Antonia!
Thank you Deborah!
Antonia, what a beautiful winter garden you have! And true, nothing like freshly picked greens and veggies from your garden! Love the recipe for the spinach pesto. I am not too fond of basil so this is a great alternative for me.
Thank you so much Sandhya! I love it! We have carrots in a bed too, but they won’t be ready until late winter. My husband is very into organic and year-round gardening, so I am very thankful 😀 I hope you enjoy it, the spinach is great in it. Have a fabulous weekend!
Antonia what a great combination with your husband into organic gardening and you cooking these yummy dishes!Wishing you a fabulous weekend too.
Thank you Sandhya 😀 I really enjoy it, and am so fascinated with what he has learned and how produce can be healthy and abundant without chemicals.
What a wonderful idea!
Thank you Inese! Have a wonderful Friday!
Well, this is simply amazing Antonia! I love that you have a winter garden that continues to produce for you! I always end up buying the frozen spinach from the grocery that leaves so much to be desired. I never even thought of making pesto from spinach. We grew basil in our garden over the summer and made lots of pesto with that. I can imagine that spinach would be just as wonderful. Hope you have a lovely weekend Antonia and happy (almost) Friday my friend 🙂
Thank you so much Heather! We had back luck with our summer garden last year, so we are very grateful! The folks that help with our yard, sprayed our organic garden beds with weed killer. Can you believe that? They had to replace all of the soil and compost, so we had no summer veggies 🙁 I love basil, and do the same in the summer. I am looking forward to having some this year! Spinach is really good in pesto! Thank you my friend, and I hope you have a great Friday as well 😀
Not a combination of ingredients I’ve come across before for pesto, but I’d love to give this a try because I love the taste of spinach. Isn’t it great to have your own produce in the garden all year round? We don’t grow half a s much as we used to when all the children were still at home, but my husband wouldn’t be too happy if he wasn’t producing most of our needs. Hope you’re enjoying 2017 so far, Antonia! 🙂
It is really good, and the spinach makes it so healthy. I came up with this recipe, when we had our first abundance of spinach a few years ago, and have been making it steady since then. My kids also love it, which is a big plus! I agree, I love having produce in our backyard. It is really amazing! It sounds like you all have a nice garden as well :D. Thank you Millie, and I hope you have been enjoying the first part of 2017 as well! Have a wonderful weekend 😀
This spinach pesto is just beautiful Antonia! I wish we could grow year around but I guess we just appreciate it a bit more when spring comes.
Thank you for the kind words Julie! I used to just grow in the summer, until my husband decided to try a winter garden out. As long as we keep it covered when it is below freezing, we can have lettuce and spinach all winter long. It is really fascinating. Have a fantastic Friday and weekend 😀
Super yummy Antonia!! 🙂
Thanks Paula! Have a happy Friday 😀
You have to share your secret for growing a beautiful veggie garden! i just love fresh veggies from the garden… it taste different from the ones bought in the market….
It is really awesome, thank you Swapna! I would love to take credit, but it is all my husband. He got very interested in the way Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch approach organic and year round gardening. They are expert organic farmers and have written several books, and even had a TV show years ago. It is all about the soil being balanced and really high quality compost mixed in. You can usually buy a good 50/50 organic soil compost mix from local supply companies. Then you just add compost back in as needed, after a couple of seasons. We use low tunnels as a way of covering up when the temp goes below freezing, and it works really well. You can email me at hi@zoale.com if you want more information. Have a fantastic Friday 😀
Hi Antonia,Sorry …I missed your message ….my son is so interested in terrace farming and so we are planning to set one soon for him…I ll definitely refer the books you mentioned above…Thank you so much….
That is awesome! It will be such a fun and rewarding adventure. No problem, I miss messages all the time 😉 Have a wonderful week my friend!
Lovely garden, Antonia! Great idea to incorporate Spinach in pesto 🙂
Thank you Freda! It is a very tasty substitute 😀 Have a wonderful weekend!
Looks great Antonia! Love the color
Thank you Lynn!! Have a fantastic weekend!
So beautiful to see your garden photos!! Would love to walk out my back door and find those lettuces!! And the pesto looks amazing– never made it with spinach, but i love the bright green color!! thanks for the recipe!!
Thank you so much Rhonda! I get spoiled this time of year, with fresh salad greens everyday. Our lettuce doesn’t do well in the summer heat. You’re welcome 😀 Have a happy weekend 😀
You’re making me want to plan a garden for the spring ahead! thanks! xo
Haha! 😀
Good way to use spinach especially when you have a lot growing in your own garden. Can’t wait until Spring when I can grow my own. Too cold, the ground is frozen – no snow but the winter is not over.
I agree, it’s yummy 😀 We plant in October and overwinter the veggies. They don’t really grow in the winter, but we can keep them warm by covering them. I am fascinated with how my husband does winter gardening 😀 Have a great day Judi!
Looks so good!! Gotta try this one 🙂 Thanks Antonia!
Thanks Jen, I hope you enjoy it! Have a happy day 😀
This looks truly delicious! We have spinach, lettuce, swiss chard and kale in the garden right now. Leafy greens are the best!!
Thank you Christina! Yummy, it is wonderful to have a garden of greens 😀
I love spinach. I make it as a curry mixed with different other winter veggies. But, I loved the recipes shared by you…will try them out sometimes… 🙂
Me too, it’s awesome! That sounds tasty 😀 I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Friday!