A kale pesto without nuts and without Parmesan: hemp seeds make it creamy, capers give it bite. Nuts and milk are among the most common food allergens – this pesto does without both. Six of the eleven ingredients are in the Top 100 of the Allergy ranking, the whole plate in the Top 100.
Open the recipe straight in the Food Secrets app. The app reads the ingredients, links each one to the nutrient database and recalculates the rank for your goal.
Ingredients for 2 servings
- Wholewheat spaghetti160 g
- Broccoli250 g
- Kale100 g
- Hemp seeds, hulled30 g
- Dill10 g
- Parsley15 g
- Chives10 g
- Capers2 tbsp
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Garlic1 small clove
- Lemon juice1 tbsp
Plus salt and pepper to taste. They are not in the ingredient list, so the rank above matches what the app calculates after the import.
Method
- Bring plenty of salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghetti as the packet says. Cut the broccoli into small florets, peel the stalk and slice it.
- Strip the kale leaves from the tough stalks and chop them roughly. For the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli and half of the kale to the spaghetti in the water.
- For the pesto, blend the rest of the raw kale finely with the dill, parsley, chives, 20 g hemp seeds, the drained capers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Add 3 to 4 tbsp of the cooking water until it is creamy.
- Drain the spaghetti, broccoli and kale, keeping back a cup of the cooking water.
- Toss everything with the pesto and add cooking water until every strand shines. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide between two plates and sprinkle with the rest of the hemp seeds and a little dill.
Why this plate scores well for the allergy goal
Every ingredient carries its band from the Food Secrets Allergy ranking. A band is stable – a place number changes with every data release, and the app shows you the exact figure.
- Top 10DillThe fresh aroma of the pesto – and one of the strongest herbs in the Allergy ranking.
- Top 10KaleRaw in the pesto, briefly cooked in the pasta. It brings vitamin C, vitamin K and flavonoids such as kaempferol.
- Top 20BroccoliCooked for a short time so it stays green and firm.
- Top 50CapersSalty and tangy, they stand in for the Parmesan – and they are one of the densest sources of quercetin.
- Top 50ChivesGently oniony, they round off the pesto.
- Top 100ParsleyGives the pesto colour and freshness.
- Top 250Hemp seedsInstead of pine nuts or walnuts: nutty, creamy, with protein on top.
Averaged across all ingredients, the plate lands in the Top 100. Spaghetti, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice carry no band: for this goal they sit in the middle of the ranking or lower, and they are here because they turn the pesto into a dinner.
Variations
- Gluten-free: buckwheat or rice noodles instead of wholewheat spaghetti.
- Without pasta: serve the pesto with roast vegetables, potatoes or as a dip for raw vegetables.
- More herbs: a few leaves of watercress or coriander in the pesto – both also rank near the top of the Allergy ranking.
- To keep: blend a double batch of pesto and store it covered with a thin layer of oil.
More about the allergy goal
Which foods the app puts first for this goal, and why, is explained on the page Nutrition for hay fever and allergies. If you also watch histamine, the page low-histamine foods has the list for that.
Ingredients onto the shopping list, recipe into the week plan – in one step.
Frequently asked questions about this recipe
Can you make pesto with kale?
Yes. Raw kale blends into pesto just like basil. It tastes stronger and a little bitter; lemon juice, capers and fresh herbs balance that out. Remove the tough stalks first. With one click, the Food Secrets app puts every ingredient on your shopping list.
Is this kale pesto free of nuts and Parmesan?
Yes. Hulled hemp seeds make it creamy instead of pine nuts or walnuts, and capers bring the salt and depth instead of Parmesan. That makes the pesto vegan. If you have an allergy, still check the labels of the ingredients – and the Food Rankings show you the foods for your goal.
How long does kale pesto keep, and can you freeze it?
In a jar, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, it keeps in the fridge for three to four days. Frozen, ideally in portions in an ice-cube tray, it keeps for about three months. You build the week plan around it in the Food Secrets app.
Which foods rank first for the allergy goal?
In the Food Secrets Allergy ranking, herbs such as oregano, dill, lovage and coriander come first, together with kale, okra and watercress. Herbs count per 100 grams, while a recipe uses only a few grams. The full list is on the page Nutrition for hay fever and allergies.
What does “Top 100” mean at Food Secrets?
The app rates more than 1000 foods and gives each a rank per goal. “Top 100” means: averaged across all ingredients, this recipe sits among the best hundred for the goal Allergy. We print bands rather than place numbers, because the database keeps growing. The app works out the current value after the import.
More healthy recipes and food rankings
- All healthy recipes by goal – recipes for allergy, immune balance, brain, digestion, heart and other health goals.
- Herb-crusted trout with broccoli and quinoa – the low-histamine recipe for the immune balance goal.
- Allergy — the nutrition goal in the app – every food by its rank for this goal.
- Recipe generator: import and analyse healthy recipes – read any recipe from the web, calculate nutrients and create the shopping list automatically.
The bands on this page are a snapshot of the Food Secrets ranking. The database keeps growing, which is why we name ranges rather than place numbers – the app works out the current value at any time. The information provided is for general education and does not replace medical advice or treatment.
