Yes, I am a total slacker. If any of you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I posted this pic months ago with the promise of a recipe coming soon. This Lemon Pepper Arugula and Cashew Pesto is a great recipe if you have excess arugula from the garden. That was the original inspiration.
Well, I suppose it depends on your definition of “soon”. I mean, it’s been under a year. So now here we are, and I’m about to share a pesto recipe that I actually like better than the traditional basil pesto.
The flavors of this Lemon Pepper Arugula and Cashew Pesto come from very few ingredients, which combine to make a super flavor packed sauce. Arugula has a natural peppery flavor, and when you add fresh lemon juice it creates such a bright, delicious pesto. And I like to use cashews in this instead of pine nuts for a smoother balance.
How to Make Lemon Pepper Arugula and Cashew Pesto
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cups fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup cashews
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 oz parmesan – whole, not grated, crumble it up into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil in a food processor or blender (arugula, cashews, lemon juice, parmesan, garlic, salt
- Pulse the ingredients a couple times to get them mixed together
- Turn the processor on low and slowly drizzle the olive oil in until you get the desired consistency

Ingredients
- 2-3 cups fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup cashews
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 oz parmesan - whole, not grated, crumble it up into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil in a food processor or blender (arugula, cashews, lemon juice, parmesan, garlic, salt
- Pulse the ingredients a couple times to get them mixed together
- Turn the processor on low and slowly drizzle the olive oil in until you get the desired consistency
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