Have a bunch of herbs or leftover greens that are going bad in the fridge? Don’t throw them away, use them in this delicious and fresh Lemon and Herb Sauce, it’s the best condiment to add to any meal whether it’s fish, pasta, tofu or roasted veggies. Plus it freezes so well to use again in a future meal!
Food waste is something I try and avoid at all costs. There are many times when I have lots of leftover herbs and greens from the farmers’ market that are wilting before I get to eating them. Rather then throw them away, I always use this recipe to make a flavorful and vibrant herb sauce that everyone loves to spoon on top of pretty much anything.
Ingredients in Lemon and Herb Sauce
- Greens: Use your favorite greens here or greens that are going bad. I love arugula, kale, and baby spinach to name a couple.
- Herbs: Any herbs will do! Try cilantro, parsley, and chives for a bright and more delicate flavor for spring or summer, or rosemary, thyme, and sage for a deeper flavor for fall or winter.
- Lemon: Adds acid from the juice which enhances the flavors of the herbs. Add the zest for even more of a bright pucker in each bite.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Lighter in flavor than most vinegars with a hint of sweetness to balance the sour lemon.
- Garlic: Essential to complement the greens! If you’re a garlic lover, add all 5 cloves, if not, then add less.
- Olive Oil: Binds all of the ingredients together into an almost creamy, silky smooth sauce.
How to Make Garlic and Herb Sauce
- Zest and juice the lemon and add to the bowl of a food processor or blender
- Add the garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped
- Add the greens to the food processor
- Add the herbs to the food processor
- Add the rice vinegar to the food processor and pulse until all the greens are finely chopped
- Stream the olive oil into the food processor while it’s running and process until a very smooth sauce forms
*Note: If using a blender, add all of the ingredients at once and blend to combine. This ensures there’s enough liquid in the blender to combine the sauce.
I prefer using a food processor or a blender to make this creamy and silky herb sauce.
What to Serve with Savory Green Sauce
This savory sauce is pretty much the perfect condiment in my opinion. Whenever a meal needs something more, it’s the first recipe that comes to mind. My personal favorite recipes to use with this garlic herb sauce are Tofu Stir Fry, Summer Quinoa Salad, and Herb Roasted Salmon.
Other ideas of meals to serve with Lemon Green Sauce include:
- Roasted vegetables: my favorites are carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli
- Fish: I love halibut, salmon, cod and sole as sustainable choices
- Tofu and Tempeh
- Legumes: Toss with beans, lentils and peas, it’s especially delicious with roasted chickpeas
- Whole grains: Drizzle over quinoa, brown rice, barley or millet for a pesto-like flavor
- Plant-based pasta: The perfect sauce to toss with brown rice or chickpea pasta
How To Freeze Lemon Garlic Green Sauce
Did I mention this sauce freezes beautifully? I always make this sauce in advance and freeze it for a later date. I like to freeze this sauce in ice cube trays INSERT AMAZON LINK. These ice cube trays portion the green sauce into single servings that defrost quickly when it comes to meal time.
What is Green Herb Sauce Made Of?
The best part about this recipe is you can totally customize it to be your own! Use whatever is in your fridge when it comes to greens and herbs. Mix and match, every recipe will be a little different which is the fun part in my opinion.
I use lemon in my recipe most days, but you can also try other citrus like lime or orange for a fun twist. Try changing the vinegar too, use red or white wine vinegar are both delicious alternatives to rice wine vinegar that are a bit more robust in acidic flavor.
Add spices and other aromatic ingredients! Try experimenting with ingredients you already have on hand. I love a hint of cumin or cumin seed, freshly grated ginger, capers, or even anchovies for a punch of different flavor!
I can’t wait for you to make this recipe, please drop your feedback using a star or comment! If you’re on Instagram, tag me @runningonveggies, I would love to see a photo of your recipe.
Everyday Lemon Herb Green Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor 7-10 cup is preferred
Ingredients
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups mixed herbs such as parsley, cilantro, chives, thyme, rosemary
- 2 cups greens such as arugula, kale, spinach
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the lemon juice, zest and garlic to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until the garlic is finely chopped.
- Add the herbs, greens, and rice wine vinegar and pulse again until the greens are finely chopped.
- With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until smooth and almost creamy, a minute or so.
- Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze the sauce in ice cube trays for easy meal prep in the future.
- The sauce freezes well for up to 2 months.
- If using a blender, add all of the ingredients at once and blend until smooth.