pesto the most delicious, child-friendly way to eat greens

Wondering how to eat more greens? How to get children to enjoy eating vegetables? When I feel we need some more greenery in our diet I reach for pesto. But not the stuff in a jar. I want a hit of fresh, punchy, healthy greens and I’m afraid you won’t get that from the bought stuff. Pesto takes seconds to make and is one of the most useful flavour and health-boosters you’ll master in the kitchen. I make a version of it every week and it is always in my meal plan.

Helping children and adults eat more green vegetables without drama

When my children are proving picky in the greens department, pesto is the thing that they’ll gobble without protest. Believe me, my youngest one is a bugger for eating greens and he eats this concoction once a week – giving me reassurance he won’t come down with scurvy.

I add kale, watercress or rocket [arugula] to the basil in our pesto. It is amazing how much greenery you can pack in to a meal when it has been through the food processor. I stir the pesto through spaghetti mixed with broccoli (cooked in the same pan as the pasta for the last few minutes of cooking) and raw spiralized courgette [zucchini] so they are getting 3-4 greens in one meal. The basil hides the greenness perfectly for children. Scroll down for the recipe.