Basil pesto is a vibrant and fresh herb sauce, made with pesto, pine nuts, and olive oil. Purchased ready to eat, jarred pesto can be expensive, but fresh, homemade basil pesto is much cheaper to make, and it tastes better, too.
I grow a lot of basil in the summer. Trader Joe’s has big plants for sale for $3 and I can’t resist buying a new one every couple of weeks to stick somewhere in my garden. You can read more about basil here.(This post was originally published on July31, 2011 and has been updated to contain nutritional information. As an Amazon Affiliate,I earn commission on qualifying purchases)Basil is great in and on so many of the dishes I make in the summer, but nothing beats pesto! Pesto is so fast and easy, you can pretty much make it while waiting for the water to boil for the pasta. It’s a favorite in our house during the summer.
What is pesto?
Pesto is a traditional Italian dish from Northern Italy. Genoa gets the credit for this delicious concoction. The word “pesto” means “to crush or pound”. Hence the similarity to the word “pestle”. The pestle is the object used to crush seeds, nuts or herbs. The authentic and traditional way to make pesto is with a mortar and pestle. I’m all for traditional methods, but it’s just not super practical. Because it’s so much faster and easier, I use a food processor. While there can be other types of pesto, like this one made with Sundried Tomatoes and Pistachios, the pesto we’re most familiar with is Pesto alla Genovese, or what we know as “basil pesto”. In addition to basil, pesto requires a good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts.
Can you make pesto dairy free?
Sure! You can certainly omit the Parmigiano-Reggiano when you make pesto, but then you’ll have pistou. (Read on)
What is the difference between pistou and pesto?
The French or Provençal version of pesto is called “Pistou“. Pistou is usually added into soups just before serving, for a little blast of flavor. Pistou is a little different, in that it doesn’t usually include pine nuts or cheese. I’ll be making a Mediterranean Soup with with pistou in it, as soon as the weather turns.
How to freeze pesto
To save your summer basil, make pesto or pistou. Freeze the pesto in ice cube trays, then place the cubes inside baggies, for use later in the season.
What can you do with pesto?
Besides putting it on pasta, pesto is great on pizza, in sandwiches or tossed with veggies and quinoa. For a low carb version, toss with spaghetti squash.
Fresh Homemade Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups basil leaves stems removed, loosely packed
- 2-3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/4 cup pine nuts lightly toasted
- 1/2 olive oil
- 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with blade, process basil leaves, and pine nuts with a few pulses.
- With food processor running, add garlic cloves, and slowly drizzle olive oil, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add cheese, and pulse for a few seconds, taste and adjust seasoning, adding black pepper and salt if necessary.
- Store in the refrigerator, covered for up to a week.
Katerina says
This is all time classic and you made one fine pasta dish! Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on culinaryflavors.gr ! I hope to see you there!
Cynthia says
Thank you for hosting Katerina!
Jennifer Johnson says
I think it’s time to harvest my basil! I also had a lucky find with Pine Nuts on sale at Aldi.
Cynthia says
Jennifer, grab ’em while you can! When I find them on sale, I usually freeze them.
Nibbles By Nic says
Congrats Cynthia!!! Your Pesto is this week’s feature in MUNCHING MONDAYS!!! Super exciting! Make sure to spread the great news and can’t wait to see what you bring this week 🙂 xo Nic
DM Du Jour says
I just made some pesto the other day with the basil from my garden. So delicious! I froze the rest of it for later but I think I will pull it out of the freezer for this recipe! Awesome picture. Thank you for sharing with us at the Motivational Mondays Linkup Party!
Cynthia says
Thank you for hosting!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I love pesto and we make it all summer long! When it’s garlic scape season, we use those, and I switch up the pine nuts with pecans and walnuts and we’ve tried others too. Haven’t had a batch I didn’t like yet! And we freeze it too! Thanks for linking it up with us at #FoodieFridays!
Cynthia says
thank you for hosting!
Eva Rinker says
Love this one 🙂
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
Pesto absolutely feels like summer to me and it’s so easy to make. Your classic recipe is one everyone is sure to love!
Cynthia says
Toni, I agree that pesto just screams summer!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Planting my basil this weekend! I need more pesto in my life – and this is beautiful!
Cynthia says
I’ve planted mine Tricia, but I can never have enough!
Marye says
This looks amazing, I absolutely love fresh pesto!
Cynthia says
I think it’s my favorite pasta sauce!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
I love fresh pesto in soup, Cynthia. I think we eat our weight in basil and tomatoes in the summertime. We are getting our our plots ready now, just tested the soil Monday. Can’t wait to try your fresh basil recipe!
Cynthia says
I like to put pesto in my winter minestrone too! I agree with you! We eat our weight in basil during the summer months!
Lisa says
What if you can’t eat pine nuts? Is there another nut you can replace it with?
Cynthia says
I’ve used walnuts and pistachios before, but I’ll be cashews would be good too!
Keira Ball says
Look delicious. Thanks for sharing.