• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Living Well Kitchen
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizer & Snacks
      • Snacks
    • Main Dish
      • Vegetarian
      • Seafood
      • Meat
      • Poultry
      • Pork
    • Specific Recipes
      • Vegetarian
        • Vegan
      • Kid Friendly
      • Gluten Free
      • Dairy Free
      • Nut Free
      • Egg Free
      • Soy Free
    • Sides
      • Vegetables
      • Beans
      • Grains
      • Potatoes
      • Bread
      • Sauce
    • Salad
    • Soup
    • Drinks
    • Dessert
    • Slow Cooker
    • Instant Pot
    • Season
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
  • About
    • Meet Meme
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Videos
  • Easy Meals
  • Quiz
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Favorites
  • Easy Meals
  • Main Dish
  • Health
  • Services
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Favorites
    • Easy Meals
    • Main Dish
    • Health
    • Services
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ร—
    Home ยป Recipes ยป Sauce

    Spicy Pesto

    Published: Jun 12, 2017 ยท Updated: Jan 31, 2019 ยท Post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Make this tasty and budget friendly Spicy Pesto to add excitement to meals and help prevent food waste

    Spicy Pesto from Living Well Kitchen

    Summer is always so kind to my budget since many of the fruits and veggies I love so much are in season in the summer.

    Makes my heart and budget happy!

    The only problem I have is when need an ingredient but have plans to use a little bit while the store only offers it in a large bag.

    [clickToTweet tweet="Make this tasty, budget friendly Spicy Pesto to add excitement to meals + help prevent food waste" quote="Make this tasty, budget friendly Spicy Pesto to add excitement to meals + help prevent food waste"]

    Spicy Pesto from Living Well Kitchen

    Take basil for example.

    When I made Cold Veggie Pizza the other day, I only needed about ยผ cup of basil. But Trader Joe's sells huge bags of basil. What to do with all my extra basil?

    Make pesto, duh!

    Spicy Pesto from Living Well Kitchen

    However, many pestos can get a little pricey when you include pine nuts and parmesan cheese. So to keep it easy on my wallet, I used cheddar and walnuts.

    Then to help ensure it has flavor, I added an extra jalapeño from a bag that I had purchased to make salsa and didn't want the extra jalapeños to go to waste.

    Spicy Pesto from Living Well Kitchen

    This turned out delicious. Full of flavor, and ready to add pizzazz to all the great options you have for using pesto.

    I am so happy that I have it in my freezer ready to make pasta, pizza, salmon, and more when I get home from my summer "vacation" (i.e. visiting my family to test recipes with my grandmother for the cookbook we are making together).

    Spicy Pesto from Living Well Kitchen

    Spicy Pesto

    Make this tasty and budget friendly Spicy Pesto to add excitement to meals and help prevent food waste.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 7
    Author: Meme

    Ingredients

    • 5 cups fresh basil
    • 1 clove garlic chopped
    • 1 medium jalapeño chopped
    • ยผ cup walnuts
    • โ…“ cup cheddar cheese about 1.5 oz
    • ยผ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • ยผ teaspoon salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Add the basil, garlic and jalapeño to a mini food processor.
    • Blend until everything is chopped together.
    • Add in walnuts, cheese and salt. Pulse until incorporated.
    • Pour in olive oil and pulse until it is smooth or to your desired consistency.

    Notes

    *Discard seeds and/or stems in jalapeño for a more mild pesto
    *Makes โ…ž cup pesto
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

    [showhide type="post" more_text="Click here for Nutrition Facts" less_text="Clear Nutrition Facts"]
    *

    Nutrition Facts
    Spicy Pesto
    Serving Size
     
    2 tablespoons
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    122
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    12
    g
    18
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    5
    mg
    2
    %
    Sodium
     
    117
    mg
    5
    %
    Potassium
     
    80
    mg
    2
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    1
    g
    0
    %
    Protein
     
    2
    g
    4
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    975
    IU
    20
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    6.1
    mg
    7
    %
    Calcium
     
    73
    mg
    7
    %
    Iron
     
    0.7
    mg
    4
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    *
    [/showhide]

    What to use in this recipe:


    Meme

    Doesn't this recipe look good?! You should probably pin it for later:

    Spicy Pesto recipe from @memeinge uses budget friendly ingredients, so you can enjoy this flavorful sauce that adds excitement to your meals without breaking the bank. Gluten free, vegetarian recipe that helps prevent food waste. Freezes well

    More Sauce

    • close up of a white bowl with jalapeno pimento cheese.
      Jalapeno Pimento Cheese
    • white bowl with tomato salsa next to fresh cilantro, garlic, onion, and lemon on a wooden table.
      Low Sodium Salsa
    • bowl of spaghetti squash topped with a turkey and tomato sauce and fresh basil next to garlic bread and a pot of sauce
      Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meat Sauce
    • white counter with white bowl of cranberry honey mustard sauce surrounded by pretzels on a plate and a bowl of cranberry sauce with an orange
      Cranberry Honey Mustard Sauce
    • Yummly
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Meme (a brunette female) is holding umbrella and spinning around in front of the Eiffel Tower wearing a denim jacket, skirt, and blue shoesHi, I'm Meme, a thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist from Alabama living in San Diego. Here to help you enjoy food, feel better in your body at any size, and live free of diets & shame.
    Read More

    Let's Connect

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Most Popular

    silver fork on a white plate with green beans and pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes covered in gravy.

    Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

    jar of chocolate sauce with a spoon in it. empty small glass ice cream cups with a bowl of cherries on a wicker table

    Easy Chocolate Sauce

    Slow Cooker with French Toast Casserole syrup and blueberries

    Slow Cooker French Toast Casserole

    chicken salad and a ritz cracker in a glass bowl on white table with green napkin

    No Mayo Chicken Salad

    bowl of turkey white bean chili topped with fresh avocado next fresh avocado and cilantro.

    White Bean Turkey Chili

    white plate with cream cheese stuffed peppers surrounded by baby bell peppers, walnuts, jalapeno, and a napkin

    Cream Cheese Stuffed Peppers

    close up of a bowl of lamb curry over rice sprinkled with mint and coconut flakes.

    Instant Pot Lamb Curry

    cream colored plate with veggie egg muffins on blue table with sliced oranges and a white napkin

    Spinach Egg Muffins

    Intuitive Eating

    brunette female holding a heart shaped pizza in a Parisian cafe

    Why Emotional Eating Isn't Bad

    hand holding an apple in front of apple trees

    Should I Eat Conventional or Organic Produce?

    havanese dog standing on arm of cream chair with a quilt in chair

    Intuitive Eating and Weight Loss

    brunette female sitting in a blanket in Versaille garden smiling and holding a container of container of food she is about to be eating

    What is Intuitive Eating

    Easy Meals

    white plate of cucumber chicken salad bites

    Cucumber Chicken Salad Bites

    Roasted Garlic Tuna Salad from Living Well Kitchen

    Roasted Garlic Tuna Salad

    Mexican Fried Quinoa from Living Well Kitchen

    Mexican Fried Quinoa

    plate of Sun-Dried Tomato Tuna Salad eggs

    Sun Dried Tomato Tuna Salad

    Salad

    bag of lentils, fresh tomatoes, and a clear bowl with lentils, mozzarella, walnuts, tomatoes, and basil on a straw mat.

    Caprese Lentil Tomato Salad

    glass bowl of roasted vegetable lentil salad next to fresh rosemary, lemon, and scattered green lentils.

    Roasted Vegetable Lentil Salad

    white bowl with avocado egg salad.

    Avocado Egg Salad

    white countertop with clear bowl of miso dressing with a silver spoon next to a container of miso paste and a microplane with fresh ginger

    Miso Dressing

    As Seen On:

    As Seen On

    In Season

    blue baking dish with hot blue cheese dip with bacon and walnuts surrounded by a towel and crackers.

    Blue Cheese Bacon Dip

    baked zucchini slices topped with pizza sauce and cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet.

    Zucchini Pizza Bites

    close up of a white bowl with jalapeno pimento cheese.

    Jalapeno Pimento Cheese

    white bowl with tomato salsa next to fresh cilantro, garlic, onion, and lemon on a wooden table.

    Low Sodium Salsa

    Footer

    Living Well Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

    • Home
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Videos
    • Easy Meals
    • Quiz

    Copyright © 2023

    We use cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT