This classic basil pesto recipe is flavorful and instantly makes any meal tastier. This pesto sauce is made with fresh basil, pine nuts, fresh garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and extra virgin olive oil.
One of my favorite things about summer is growing herbs. Fresh herbs add flavor and instantly brighten up any meal. In case you missed my last post, I go into further details about cooking with fresh herbs to boost flavor and your health. My favorite way to use up the abundance of fresh basil is to make basil pesto!
Pesto is one of my favorite condiments and is always in my refrigerator. I add it to my eggs, spread it on sandwiches, make pesto pasta, or even toss a dollop into vegetarian meatballs or burgers for an extra flavor kick. Sometimes I even eat the pesto with crackers as a dip because I love it so much.
While I often buy store bought pesto when I’m unable to make it, I find store bought (no matter the brand) never tastes the same as fresh. Homemade pesto is infinitely more tasty than store bought counterparts. That’s why I make as much fresh pesto during the summer months as I can. It freezes nicely and I always have plenty stocked for the colder months.
While pesto may seem fancy and gourmet, homemade basil pesto is surprisingly easy to make. Simply add all the ingredients to a food processor until smooth, and you have a delicious homemade pesto you can use all week long.
Main ingredients for traditional basil pesto
While there are many variations of pesto, my favorite by far is this classic basil pesto. It is important to use high quality ingredients so the flavors shine through.
- Fresh Basil Leaves
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Pine nuts
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
What to do with basil pesto?
There are endless ways to use basil pesto. There’s the obvious use for basil pesto like mixing it in with your favorite pasta dish. Let’s go beyond the pasta because there’s so much more you can do with it.
- Use it as a spread instead of mayo on a sandwich
- Make pesto toast
- Add it to your morning omelet or eggs
- Use as a sauce for pizza
- Toss vegetables with pesto instead of oil
- Use as a finishing sauce for topping any protein dish
- Put it on a potato instead of butter or sour cream or mixed into mashed potatoes
- Garnish soup
- Make a dressing by thinning it with a little more oil or vinegar
- Season meatballs with pesto
How to Store Pesto
Use the pesto immediately or store in the refrigerator to use all week. To refrigerate pesto, place in an airtight sealed container. You may find the pesto starts to brown, that is due to the leaves oxidizing when exposed to air. While still delicious, the color is not ideal. Furthermore, to prevent browning, feel free to drizzle a thin layer of olive oil over the top.
Can you freeze pesto?
You can freeze basil pesto to extend its shelf life. Pesto freezes beautifully and is a great option if you make large batches of pesto during the summer. I like freezing batches during the summer so I have fresh pesto available during the winter months.
If you want to freeze the pesto you make, omit the cheese (it doesn’t freeze well). When you want to use it, defrost and add in the grated cheese and additional oil to get to the desired consistency.
Pesto variations
Once you master the basic ratio of herbs to oil to nuts, you can easily customize your own pesto by swapping out ingredients. Also, you can add flavorings such as freshly squeezed lemon juice, chili flakes, sundried tomatoes, and more.
Nuts/Seeds– unfortunately pine nuts are very expensive. However, you can swap out pine nuts for another nut or seed found below. Alternatively, go nut-free by using seeds.
- Almonds
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hemps seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
Herbs/leafy greens– you can do a combination of basil and another herb or leafy green; or alternatively substitute basil entirely by one from below. You can make a pesto sauce out of any leafy green or herb!
- Kale
- Spinach
- Parsley
- Lemon basil
- Radish or carrot tops
Cheese– swap Parmigiana Reggiano with another cheese or to make it vegan use nutritional yeast. I often times omit the cheese because I love the strong basil flavor of the pesto without the cheese.
- Pecorino
- Asiago
This basil pesto will become your go-to condiment all summer long to boost flavor in any dish. Once you make homemade pesto you won’t go back to store-bought!
More homemade dressing, sauce, and dip recipes
Homemade Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh packed basil leaves
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 large garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil to desired consistency
- Salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Gently rinse fresh basil leaves and pat dry or use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
- Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the dry skillet (don’t add oil!). Heat over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown. Do not leave the stove because once they start toasting if you are not careful they can burn very easily. Set aside in a bowl to cool for a few minutes.
- Once the pine nuts are cooled, in a food processor, add the basil, toasted pine nuts, and garlic. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Scrape down the sides.
- With machine running, drizzle in olive oil through the feed tube in a steady stream, until the mixture is creamy and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Blend until pesto looks uniform and olive oil is emulsified into the basil. Taste the pesto and add additional seasoning or more garlic (to your taste preference).
- Pour the pesto into a medium bowl along with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and stir until well incorporated, adding more oil to desired consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. *If freezing the pesto, omit the cheese and place in an airtight container. Once thawed, add the parmesan and additional oil.
Nutrition Facts
68 Calories, 7 gram fat, 1 gram protein, 1 gram total carbohydrate, 0 gram sugar, 0 gram fiber, 57 mg sodium Notes:
Can add salt to taste. The cheese adds nice saltiness. I omit the salt because when I use the pesto in recipes I usually am seasoning that dish. To keep the pesto from oxidizing add a small drizzle of oil to lightly coat the top before refrigerating. I used freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano that you can find by the deli section. You can grate yourself but sometimes I find the consistency of the pesto changes. I lightly toast the pine nuts to deepen their nutty flavor but you can skip this step too.
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