When I found a recipe that called for pesto I opted to make my own instead of buying it. So I scoured the internet and happened upon this recipe for Nut-Free pesto. My father has a nut-allergy so I found this to be an exciting discovery.

Even though I wasn’t cooking for anyone with a nut-allergy that night, it’s nice to know that these meatballs can be prepared anytime we’re hosting company.

Nut-Free Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

• 4 C spinach
• 2 C basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 C parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 C + 1 tbsp olive oil

Steps

1. Puree all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor.
2. While the machine is running, stream in the olive oil.

*This recipe is from Maria and Josh at http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/spinach-basil-pesto/*

I used this pesto in mini meatballs – ground turkey, pesto, panko breadcrumbs – on top of linguine pasta with jarred marinara sauce for a quick dinner that still tasted from scratch.