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bell' alimento

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How To Make Pesto

By Paula |

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A few ingredients and a food processor (or pestle and mortar) are all you need to make pesto at home. Chances are, you’re going to want to slather this versatile multi purpose sauce on all the things. 

pesto in jar with spoon on baking sheet with basil, pine nuts, scissors and garlic cloves. Glass jar of olive oil and cheese grater in background.

If I had to pick a favorite herb it would probably be basil. I love using fresh BASIL leaves to garnish and flavor my dishes with, but there’s nothing I love more than making PESTO with them. With a few ingredients and the help of a food processor it’s easy peasy to make pesto at home. No food processor? No problem, you can absolutely use a mortar and pestle. It will just take a little longer, but bonus points for the arm workout.

TIP – need another idea for an abundance of fresh basil? PRESERVE it for future use by making HERB CUBES. 

basil, scissors, pine nuts, garlic clove and glass jar of pesto on baking sheet.

WHAT IS PESTO? 

Pesto, or pesto alla genovese, is a sauce originating in Genoa Italy. Typically it consists of  fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt, and a hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino. All of the ingredients are then blended with olive oil to create this thick vibrant green sauce. 

baking sheet with basil, pine nuts in glass jar, garlic cloves, scissors, cheese wedge. Olive oil and cheese grater in background.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO I NEED TO MAKE PESTO?

You’ll need the following 6 KEY ingredients to make this pesto at home

  • fresh basil
  • garlic cloves
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Parmigiano Reggiano
  • pine nuts
  • kosher salt

Now that you know what ingredients you’ll need to make pesto. You may want a few suggestions on ways to enjoy it once you’ve made it…

A FEW WAYS TO USE PESTO- 

  1. Stir into PASTA.
  2. Stir into SOUP. 
  3. Spread on CROSTINI. 
  4. DIP for crudité platters. 
  5. Topping for ROASTED VEGETABLES or ROASTED POTATOES. 
  6. STUFFING for PORK TENDERLOIN, PORK CHOPS or CHICKEN BREAST.

glass jar of pesto on baking sheet with scattered pine nuts, basil leaves and scissors.

HOW DO I STORE PESTO? 

Store pesto in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to use these GLASS JARS . They’re the perfect size and bonus points, I can see exactly what’s inside without having to open them. 

TIP – Top off the jar with a little drizzle of olive oil before sealing.

OR you can even FREEZE pesto in ice cube trays, pop them out and transfer to a freezer bag to preserve them for future use.

MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES TO TRY

If you’re feeling inspired by this pesto recipe, you’ll love these other recipes:

Yield: 1/2 cup

Pesto

basil, scissors, pine nuts, garlic clove and glass jar of pesto on baking sheet.

Pesto alla Genovese. A rich, thick vibrant versatile herby sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups lightly packed fresh basil
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano – grated
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Into Food Processor add: basil, garlic. Pulse to combine.
  2. Add pine nuts, pulse to combine. Add cheese and WHILE food processor is pulsing GRADUALLY stream in the olive oil.
  3. Check for seasoning. Add salt to taste.

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© Paula Jones
Category: Condiments/Sauces/Stocks
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