Pesto Sauce Recipe

The key to making creamy pesto is to add the ingredients to the food processor in the right order to ensure that the nuts break down to a fine paste before the greens have a chance to turn brown. Use basic basil pesto as a pasta sauce, or thin it out with a little olive oil to drizzle it over steak, chicken, fish, pizza or tomato salad. The mint-pistachio variation is inspired by the chef Travis Lett, of Gjelina in Venice, Calif.

Pesto Sauce Recipe

Quick and easy creamy pesto you can whip up in 5 minutes or less!

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 255 kcal, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 5 g, Fat 26 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 7 mg, Sodium 419 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt ((or to taste))
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instruction:

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Serve immediately or cover and store chilled.

The Best Basic Pesto

Homemade pesto sauce is easy to make, and it’s good on just about everything, from pastas to pizzas to salads.

Total: 15min

Yield: Makes about 1¼ cups (about 10 servings)

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp.

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 2 Tbsp. , calories 159, Fat 17 g, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 3 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, unSaturated Fat , Sugar 0 g, Fiber 0 g, Sodium 161 mg, Cholesterol 4 mg

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup walnuts
• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Instruction:

1. Place the walnuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until coarsely chopped, about 10 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper and process until mixture resembles a paste, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly blended. Add the Parmesan and process a minute more. Use pesto immediately or store in a tightly sealed jar or air-tight plastic container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil (this seals out the air and prevents the pesto from oxidizing, which would turn it an ugly brown color). It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
2. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Pesto can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. You can also divide your prepared pesto into the compartments of an ice cube tray and freeze. Once it’s frozen, remove the pesto cubes from the tray and put in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container. You can add the defrosted pesto cubes to soups, pasta dishes, eggs, sandwiches, and potatoes.

How to Make FRESH BASIL PESTO Like an Italian