
You can also find my recipe here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Spinach-rocket-pesto/
Yesterday, I made this tasty & easy to make spinach & rocket pesto. I added toasted walnuts & added the Parmesan cheese later, on the plate. My husband & I don’t like the same amount of cheese in our pesto’s so that’s why I added it later, on my plate.
I added cooked egg-free farfalle pasta because I wanted to use this fun pasta shape. I also added fried smoked bacon pieces because I do think that the flavours marry well together. If you leave out the bacon, this is a vegetarian dish. Enjoy it! 🙂 If you have any leftovers, this is also tasty with some mashed potato served with fried sausages or with vegetarian sausages! 🙂

Recipe: For 2 persons, with a bit of seconds
Ingredients:
** For the pesto:
100 gr of young spinach leaves, well washed & spun dry, big stalks removed
100 gr of rocket leaves ( arugula ), well washed & spun dry
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped up
zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
4 to 6 tablespoons of a fruity extra virgin olive oil / I used 6
black pepper
sea salt flakes/ I use Maldon sea salt
30 gr of walnuts, toasted for about 5 minutes in a hot non-stick pan, on a low heat./ Do not let the walnuts burn!
a fruity evoo
** To serve:
About 350 gr of farfalle pasta
200 gr smoked bacon pieces, unfried/ I only used 200 gr fried smoked bacon pieces for 2 persons, so that the smoked bacon won’t overpower the pesto flavours!!!
baking margarine to fry your smoked bacon pieces in
finely grated Parmesan cheese, about 100 gr/ you can leave this out if you want to make it vegan! 🙂
Method:
1. Cook your pasta according to your packet instructions. Drain & keep warm.
2. Make your pesto. Take a food processor & add rocket leaves, spinach leaves, toasted walnuts, chopped up garlic, 1/2 lemon zest & juice of 1/2 lemon. Add some finely milled black pepper & some sea salt flakes. Now, add 1 tablespoon of the oil at a time. Blitz everything together for a few seconds or until it forms a greenish paste. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil extra, if you need to. Add more oil if you need to. You want to end up with a greenish pesto consistency, not too thick & not too runny. Stop. Scrape the sides of your processor & blitz again & again. Taste. It has to taste fab & adjust the seasoning if you need to. You can taste the lemon. Yummy!
3. In the meantime, fry your smoked bacon pieces in some baking margarine until crispy & ready. Keep warm. Now, you are ready to plate up. Take 2 pasta plates & add the cooked farfalle in the middle. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the green pesto on top of your cooked pasta. Scatter the smoked bacon pieces all around your pasta plate, in a circle. Add some grated Parmesan cheese on top of the pesto. The Parmesan cheese enriches the flavour of the lemon. Do the same with your second pasta plate. Enjoy instantly with your loved one! Success guaranteed! 🙂
This is so tasty, everything mingled together on your plate. It doesn’t look great but it is so divine! 🙂 Happy Eating! Stay tuned, Subscribe by email through the link below to get my new cool newsletters aka posts! Join 1,800 email Subscribers! It is free!
Yum, Sophie! Another great green fabulous home-made pesto! I can’t wait to make it! It breathes Spring! Yes! 🙂
Thanks so much, Sean, enjoy! x
Yum yum yum, Sophie! You did it again! 🙂 The pasta dish looks very appetizing & very delicious too! 😉
Thanks, sweet Johan! x
Love all the different kinds of pesto. Yours looks super, Sophie.
Thanks so much, dear Angie! x
Wow that pesto looks beautiful.
Thanks so much, Tabitha! Enjoy with Gf penne & Gf fried smoked bacon! 🙂 xx
You’re back! Love the new use for rocket 🙂
Thanks, Liz! xx
A nice way to add greens to pasta. I should try this!
It is a must, my friend! x
Looks amazing, Sophie! I usually make parsley pesto with peanuts. 😀
that sounds really tasty too, Adrian! x
I am so going to make your georgous green bright fresh pesto, dear Sophie! It looks very scrumptious too! Yum Yummmm! 🙂
yeahh, thanks, Belinda! x
You are the green queen Sophie! This pesto sounds amazing. Healthy and delicious.
Thanks, Sonal, enjoy it too! 🙂 xxx
Lovely pesto Sophie 😘😘
thank you, sweet Elaine! Enjoy! x
Perfect spring eating, Sophie! Love the addition of spinach to the rocket pesto – sometimes it can be too peppery on its own. Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂
You are welcome, dear Culia. 😊
I love pesto on pasta! The arugula would add a lovely peppery kick, and I think walnuts instead of pine nuts would be amazing too! Pesto pasta with veggies is the perfect vegetarian dish for me!
I have been getting a couple e-mails from your old web host I think. Perhaps someone has taken the name Sophie’s Foodie Files on blogger now and is using it? I don’t think it is you…the two posts I received were on beer can chicken and pulled pork. Just a heads up!! Let me know if it IS you posting though.
My father has had the same problem. It is not me at all. Delete them!!!!!
Thanks for the feedback, dear friend! that blogger is on blogspot & I am on wordpress.
Hello Sophie,
Super spinach and very delicious and tasty too!
Mamalou
Yes & there is rocket leaves in there too, dear mom! 🙂 Enjoy! x
Gloriously green! I can’t get enough pesto, and I do love adding in a healthy dose of dark leafy greens to my usual blend, too. You could make anything taste good with a dollop of that stuff!
I agree here, dear Hannah! x
So vibrantly fresh – perfect for the spring weather we have been having!
Thanks, sweety! Enjoy! x
Your pasta dish sounds so good with your spinach and rocket pesto. I like the idea of adding the cheese at the end instead of in the pesto.
Thank you, dear Karen,…Enjoy the dish. 😀
Thanks Sophie for yet another fine recipe. This one looks particularly delicious to me. I may have to make it for dinner tonight!
Yeahhh, that is great to hear, dear Tom..Enjoy. X 😀
It looks so fresh and vibrant! Delish!
Thanks. 😀