I had heard about making pesto with radish greens and at first, I wasn’t too hip about the idea. After making and trying it, I’m in pesto love and plan to freeze a batch each year just as we do basil pesto.
Radish greens are completely edible. Because of their coarse texture, they don’t work well in salads unless they’re young and very small.
They can be cooked like any other green, but there too, you’ll want to use young and tender leaves. The texture of the leaves is why they’re perfect as a pesto. After they’ve been processed into pesto, you won’t notice the rough texture at all.
Radish greens are a nutritional powerhouse, ranking right up there with broccoli and kale in terms of antioxidants. They’re also high in vitamin C and calcium. Wow!
How to make Radish Greens Pesto:
- First, clean them well. Radish greens can be muddy. To thoroughly wash them, fill a sink with cool water.
- Place the greens in the sink and gently move them around. Doing so helps the dirt detach.
- Remove the leaves then drain and rinse the sink.
- Fill the sink again and repeat the process. I do this several times until I’m confident no dirt remains.
- Radish greens wilt quickly when separated from the root, so placing them in cool water like this also helps to perk them up. When you’re confident they’re nice and clean, spin dry in a salad spinner. After that, pack the leaves into a food processor and you’re ready to roll!
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- This pesto has many of the same ingredients as a traditional basil pesto: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and nuts.
- Because of their pungent, peppery flavor, I suggest using mild, sweet nuts such as almonds, macadamia or pistachios. If you are allergic to nuts, use sunflower seeds instead.
- A little bit of lemon juice in the pesto really punches up the flavor. If you plan to freeze the pesto, leave out the cheese and garlic and add them when you’re ready to serve the pesto.
Radish greens are one of the most powerful leafy greens on our planet and also help to remove heavy metals. Read more about the healing properties of these foods in Life-Changing Foods.
Radish Greens Pesto is great with almost anything! Serve with fish, chicken, pasta, potatoes and any other way you would serve traditional pesto. Enjoy!
