So, we don’t normally have pine nuts hanging around the house, so we needed something that was sans-nuts when creating a pesto. This pesto is AWESOME on gluten-free pasta, veggie noodle pasta, vegetables, homemade flatbreads or pizza, or used as spread on a wrap! It is packed full of flavor. We even used fresh basil from our famous “terrace cotta pot” garden 🙂 .You can also kick it up a notch with a little bit of red pepper flakes. POW! We made the pesto to originally accompany a homemade, flatbread-type pizza one Sunday afternoon (well, the flatbread wasn’t “homemade” – we used Sami’s Bakery gluten-free lavash).

• 4 cups of fresh Spinach
• 2 cups of fresh Basil
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (can be optional)
• 1 teaspoon of Sea Salt
• ½ teaspoon of Black Pepper
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (give or take, depending on how/if you like the kick)
• 1/3 cup & 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
  

1. Add the spinach, basil, garlic, garlic, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper (optional red pepper flakes) in a food processor or high powered blender. Blend for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the olive oil while the machine is running. Continue to process until the mixture is smooth.

2. Serve with pasta, veggies, as a spread, etc. The pesto can be stored in a jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It also freezes well.

If you like a thinner pesto you can add a touch more of the olive oil.

PRINT RECIPE: Spinach Basil Pesto – Nut Free – Recipe

**Although there are many recipes for a from scratch, gluten-free pizza crust or flatbread, Sami’s Bakery is a great source for gluten-free breads, rolls, lavash (a Mediterranean flatbread), pita chips, etc. – www.samisbakery.com . We have access to some of their items at a local natural food store to some of their products, however you can order online, as well. NOTE: Sami’s Bakery technically cannot label their millet/flax, etc. items as “gluten-free” because their facility also makes other products that are made with ingredients that contain wheat or gluten, therefore there is a possibility of traces of them. If you are highly sensitive to these, please research further with them directly if you are interested in checking them out.