Pesto is an amazing summertime flavor that gets added to a bunch of different dishes. The basil just sings when added to anything tomato, and the saltiness of the parmesan cheese is a wonderful balance to the basil’s sweetness. Great for pasta, sandwiches, and making the amazing Pesto Aioli; pesto is a must-have for summertime eating.

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Why I Love This Recipe?

I love this recipe because I love the pungent flavors of the pesto. I fell in love with it when I had it spread on a ciabatta sandwich, smashed onto some melted provolone, it was amazing. Then I found it as Basil Mayo, and that is a game-changer. Finally, upon watching Samin Nosrat make it in Italy using a mortar and pestle in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, I just had to write a pesto recipe down. So, here we are!

Ingredients & Equipment

Pesto Ingredients

Basil: Sweet basil makes up the green bulk of the recipe and is delicious. If you’re feeling adventurous and have other types of basil in the garden, then you could substitute that into the recipe, but I used sweet basil. Make sure to remove the excess stems to improve the quality.
Parmesan Cheese: Usually, I buy the cheapest ingredients I can, but here I make an exception. The tang of the parmesan is essential to pesto, and the Kraft shaker just doesn’t quite cut it. It will suffice, but if you’re already at the store, splurge for the brick of Parmesan.
Olive Oil: The liquid in the pesto. Olive oil is added to thin the basil puree and make it a bit more spreadable and adds its own flavor to the mix, an essentially Italian flavor. Use fresh olive oil to make sure it hasn’t gone rancid.
Pine nuts: I had never tasted pine nuts before making this recipe, and they are a bit weird. It’s like a soft peanut that tastes a bit like a Christmas tree. These give the puree some bulk and creaminess.
Garlic: Toss a few whole cloves into the blender and add another layer of Italian flavor. Next time I am going to try roasting the garlic first to see what that does to the flavors.

Pesto Equipment

Blender: Something to puree ingredients with. I used my Ninja food processor, and next time I will use my immersion blender to see if it makes a finer paste. A mortar and pestle can be used if you have a big one and want a workout.
Grater: Something to grate the parmesan cheese. Nothing fancy, but everyone should have a cheese grater. Use a coarse grater to make the task go faster.

Preparation

Making the Pesto

This is the best part, how quickly this comes together. Seriously, it comes together in about 5 minutes

Add everything but the olive oil into the bowl or blender and blend it until it sticks to the sides.
As it blends, add olive oil a bit at a time to keep the mixture flowing. You don’t want puddles of oil, just enough to loosen everything up a bit.
Keep adding olive oil until the proper consistency. The goal is something spreadable but not pourable.
Enjoy!

Simply Pesto

Kyle E.

Smash together basil, pine nuts, parmesan, and olive oil to create this classic italian spread. Delicious for so many thing, try it everywhere!

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Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings Tbsp

Calories 100 kcal

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

2 cups Basil stems removed
⅓ cup Pine Nuts
½ cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Sea Salt
½ cup Olive Oil

Instructions

Place all of the basil in the blender. Pulse to chop it fine.
Next add the pine nuts (⅓C), grated parmesan (½C), garlic (2 cloves), sea salt (1tsp), and half of the olive oil (¼c). Blend until a rough paste forms.
With the blender on, add the rest of the olive oil slowly until the paste becomes more spreadable, aiming for wet peanut butter consistency.
Enjoy on toast, tomatoes, in mayo, or on pizza. The opportunites are endless.

Notes

Storage: The best way to store Pesto is to lay plastic wrap right on top of the pesto, seal out air. This will keep in the refrigerator for 7 days with little discoloration. Freezes for a month.

Substitutions: This is a basic recipe, play around with

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal

Keyword basil, easy, olive oil, parmesan, pesto, pine nut, sauce

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Store Pesto?

The best way I have found to store pesto is to put it in a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. But don’t just cover it, press the plastic wrap down onto the pesto so all the air is pressed out. That way, very little oxidation can take place while in storage

Can You Freeze Pesto?

There are a few ways to freeze pesto. First, you can seal it in a container that leaves very little air space, or use press plastic wrap down onto the pesto to remove air contact. Second, you can freeze it in an ice tray, making small single-use amounts. After they are frozen, break them out and into a Ziplock bag.

Just a note, the green color will go very dark over time in the freezer. It shouldnt affect the flavor much, but it will get darker.

How Do I Use Homemade Pesto?

This is the best part, you can use pesto to make so many delicious dishes and is the main reason I wanted to write this article. Below is a small list if ideas to try, and I will add more as I come up with them:

Pesto Mayonnaise– Spread it own a sandwich
Cheesy Pesto Toast- Pesto and Mozzarella on toast, Yum!
Pesto Alfredo: Pesto and cream sauce are a heavenly combo
Pesto Alfredo Pizza: Use the above sauce as a pizza sauce for a tasty alternative to red pizza sauce.

Do You Use a Blender or Mortar and Pestle to Make Basil?

I like to use a blender, since I do not have a giant mortar and pestle and they can be pricy. You can use a mortar and pestle to make pesto, it will just take longer and have a chunkier texture.

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