Get my newest recipe via email:

Arugula and Cashew Pesto

Summertimeโ€ฆ And the living is easy. Catfish are jumping, and the cotton is high. Donโ€™t you cry. Blend up this emerald arugula and cashew pesto and serve it on little polenta bites.

Arugula and Cashew Pesto on Polenta Bites

How about these inviting nibbles for hot summer weather? Simple to make and stress-free to assemble, plus you donโ€™t need to be anywhere near the oven. That keeps summertime living easy.

Pesto, from the Latin root verb pestare to pound. According to dictionaries, pesto an Italian sauce, made especially of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Typically, pesto is stirred into hot pasta.

To make arugula and cashew pesto, pulse everything in your trusty food processor. (Affiliate link.) You’ll want to lick the spatula because its sooo good!

Arugula and Cashew Pesto on Polenta Bites
Arugula and Cashew Pesto on Polenta Bites

There is nothing typical about pesto in our gourmet foodie world. We pound pesto from cilantro, mint, broccoli and kaleโ€”just about any green veggie. In the winter. when basil is not as easy to find as in the summer, replace the basil with spinach to satisfy your fresh pesto cravings.

Pesto absolutely must include zesty garlic. Make pesto with any nut, vegetable or cheese you want, just donโ€™t leave out essential garlic.

Creative cooks these days mash any crunchy nut we please into pesto, like walnuts, in basil walnut pesto. A quick Google search will lead you to pesto made with pecans, pumpkin seeds, pistachios and almonds. I love the texture of the cashew component in todayโ€™s recipe.

Would pesto purists consider it authentic if made with cheese other than Parmigiano-Reggiano? I think not. The rest of us–we try feta. Vegans can leave out the cheese and substitute fresh tangy lemon juice and zest.

Arugula and Cashew Pesto on Polenta Bites

Make polenta the easy way in the microwave oven. Spread it in a baking sheet pan and let it cool. Or slice polenta rounds from a shelf-stable tube shaped roll. (Affiliate link.)

Top polenta bites with arugula and cashew pesto for awesome appetizers.

More pesto recipes:

To get my latest recipe posts and newsletters, subscribe here. (I hate Spam too and will never share your email with anyone.)

  • Follow me on Instagram! Itโ€™s my favorite!
  • Peruse my Pinterest boards for more vegetarian recipe ideas.
  • Find daily vegetarian and healthy living ideas on my Facebook page.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you purchase products via my links, it doesnโ€™t cost you anything and I earn a tiny commission, which helps me continue to provide free content here on Lettyโ€™s Kitchen. Thank you for supporting Lettyโ€™s Kitchen!

4 comments

  • kathleen

    I need an appetizer for a Thursday night get together with the girls before seeing “Chorus Line”!
    This will be it, THANKS!! Reply · 22 July, 2014

    • Letty

      Yes! Let me know if you make the polenta or use the rolls. Enjoy! The apps and Chorus Line–I’m missing it. ๐Ÿ™ Reply · 22 July, 2014

  • Oh I love your love of greens Letty! What a creative treat! Reply · 3 August, 2014

    • Letty

      Thanks MJ! Yes! Greens! Reply · 4 August, 2014

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.