Toddler-Friendly Loaded Veggie Pesto

There's nothing quite like the bite of a fresh garlic-y, basil-y pesto sauce.  I love the spice of the fresh garlic paired with the fresh taste of basil and olive oil tossed with a favorite pasta.  Basil, however, is not a vegetable...it is an herb.  A delicious, amazing herb that I can chop and put on everything from Thai food to tomatoes to liven up a dish.

My daughter is a fan of pasta, to put it simply.  I can give her pasta in any form and she will devour it happily.  I try and come up with sauces I can throw on pasta because I know how popular pasta is with toddlers.  It's fun to eat, comes in a variety of shapes, and it's just plain delicious.

This veggie pesto is AMAZING.  It is loaded with greens, sticks beautifully to pasta so you know your toddler is getting globs of vegetables in every bite, and most importantly, it is so delicious!!  You can easily double the quantities in this recipe and freeze the pesto for future use.  I love this sauce on everything, but it's especially good as a spread on homemade pizza!!

Ingredients:

1 lb of asparagus spears

3-4 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of olive oil or more, to taste

Juice of 1/2 or more lemon, to taste

1 cup Pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional, but I think it adds a lovely flavor)

20 or so fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Set a large pot of water to boil.  Cut the ends off the asparagus.  You can put them in long or cut them into smaller pieces.  Boil for 4-5 minutes

While the asparagus is boiling, get out a small skillet to toast your pine nuts.  Add a tsp of olive oil and set the pan on medium low heat.  Add your nuts and toast them until they are a warm, golden color.  Don't burn them.  Just monitor your heat on the pan and reduce it if you notice they are browning too quickly.

Once your asparagus is cooked, take them out and put them in your large food processor.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the chopper as well.

Blend well, adding more olive oil if desired to reach the consistency you like.  Taste your pesto and add salt and pepper according to taste.  I prefer my pesto to be a slightly thicker consistency only because it's easier for the pasta to grab the sauce and therefore my child eats more vegetables.  Win-win!

You can easily make this dairy-free by omitting the Parmesan, or nut-free by taking out the pine nuts or almonds.  The pesto will still be delicious.  Toss with your favorite pasta and watch as your toddler demands more (vegetables)!