Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto is a vibrant, slightly nutty sauce that can enhance grilled food, soups, salads and of course pasta!

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Basil Pesto is a popular Italian sauce that combines basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and cheese creating a smooth, fresh sauce bursting with flavor.

There are many varieties when it comes to basil. Being that basil is the main ingredient it’s a good idea to get to know the different types. I found this website very useful and informative.

Basil Pesto Ingredients

• 2 Cups, Fresh basil (tightly packed)

• 1/4 Cup, Pine nuts lightly toasted

• 1-2 Garlic cloves, whole

• 1/2 Lemon, freshly squeezed

• 1/2 Cup, grated Romano cheese

• 1/2 Teaspoon, salt

• 1/4 Teaspoon, pepper

• 1/2 Cup, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for a smoother texture

I have always been a huge, huge fan of basil. My oldest will just go out to the garden and pick basil leaves and eat them on the spot. I find that basil has a wonderful, not too sharp, flavor that goes great in many dishes, such as my PESTO POTATO SALAD and can even be used as a condiment.

In all honesty, I used to buy pesto and use it as a pasta sauce. Once I found out how easy it was to make, well let’s just say I have not bought pesto in a jar in a very long time. It takes no time to make this beautiful basil pesto and it is so versatile that you will most likely find yourself using it a lot more in a variety of dishes.

Let’s get to making the Basil pesto. Oh and feel free to change up the cheese (Parmesan), eliminating the lemon juice and maybe adding in some fresh parsley. Use this recipe as a template and go from there!

Let’s get to it!

Start by getting a small saute pan, place on low heat and add in the pine nuts. Keep the heat on low and shake the pan every couple of seconds. This will ensure that you don’t burn the pine nuts. They will be slightly toasted after a couple of minutes. Add to the rest of the ingredients (except the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Parmesan cheese) that are already in the food processor.

Start by pulsing the ingredients in the food processor. Once combined, continue to drizzle the Extra Virgin Olive Oil blending until you’ve reached a smooth consistency. At this point, if you want and even smoother consistency, slowly drizzle some more Extra Virgin Olive Oil in, while the machine is running.

Once all the ingredients are blended together, remove the sauce to a small bowl. This is where I add the grated Parmesan cheese and fold it into the basil pesto. I don’t like to add it in the food processor because the cheese is already finely grated so it doesn’t need to be finely processed anymore.

Taste the Basil pesto and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Be prepared to become an expert at making Basil pesto because it’s going to disappear before you know it! ~Christina