This simple yet vibrant basil pesto is packed with summer flavor and makes an excellent addition to any meal. Made with just a handful of ingredients, this pesto will quickly become your go to sauce to top your meal.
WHAT IS PESTO?
Pesto is an Italian sauce typically made with fresh herbs, nuts, cheese, garlic and olive oil. It’s fresh, vibrant, and flavorful. Pesto makes a great pasta sauce, salad dressing, pizza sauce, and sandwich spread. I even enjoy it drizzled on my scrambled eggs, grilled vegetable, avocado toast… you get the idea. It instantly elevates every dish to the next level.
Fresh herbs add so much aroma and flavor to meals. So instead of chopping herbs throughout the week, I like to make a double batch of pesto to store in the fridge ready to drizzle over my breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I particularly enjoy making a batch of basil pesto using my summer garden basil. Our garden basil plants have been thriving so we are making this recipe on repeat.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Bold, Fresh Flavor: packed with fresh basil leaves, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Quick & Easy: comes together in 5 minutes!
- Versatile: use as a pasta sauce, pizza sauce, marinade, or drizzle on nearly anything.
INGREDIENTS
- Fresh Basil: the star of the pesto.
- Toasted Pine Nuts: adds irresistible nutty flavor.
- Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano: for that savory, salty, and complex flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: brings everything together and tastes amazing.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: for bright, vibrant flavor.
- Garlic: essential, only fresh garlic will do!
- Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper: to taste.
HOW TO MAKE BASIL PESTO
Toast the Nuts: Heat a dry skillet to medium heat, then add the pine nuts in a single layer. Stir the nuts constantly for 3-5 minutes until the pine nuts are golden brown and fragrant. Remove the nuts from the pan immediately to stop the cooking process.
Add the ingredients: To the food processor, add fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
Pulse the Ingredients: pulse until well combined. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and pulse until well incorporated.
Serve and Enjoy: Spoon out the basil pesto into desired container and enjoy. To store, place the pesto in an airtight container and a keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
PESTO VARIATIONS
This recipe is adaptable to what is in season or what you have on hand. If my case, what we have in the garden. You can make delicious variations by simply using a different herb, nut, or cheese. You can also add some spice for an extra kick. The possibilities are endless. Here are some variations:
- Herbs: use parsley, cilantro, or even chives. You can even replace half the herbs with kale or arugula.
- Nuts: use toasted walnuts or pistachios. You can omit the nuts altogether if you have an allergy.
- Cheese: swap Parmigiano-Reggiano with Pecorino, Asiago, Grana Padano, or Pecorino Romano.
- Spice: add a charred jalapeño, red pepper flakes or an extra clove of garlic.
STORAGE TIPS
- Refrigerator: Transfer basil pesto into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: For longer storage, transfer basil pesto into an ice cube tray to freeze. Once frozen solid, pop out the pesto cubes and place in a freezer safe container to freeze up to 3 months.
MORE RECIPES TO ENJOY:
If you make this Basil Pesto Recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out! Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basil leaves
- ½ cup Toasted pine nuts
- ¼ cup Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Pulse for about 1 minute or until well combined.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and pulse until well combined.
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