Basil Pesto is a straight forward and simple recipe. Here is my favorite basil pesto recipe that I used with my homegrown, fresh basil. Read below to find out how to grow your own fresh basil.
Basil Pesto
Easy Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups basil leaves, as fresh as possible and packed in
- 1/3 cup walnuts (I did not have pine nuts or would have used those instead, walnuts worked great)
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (or Romano if you have it on hand)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Add the basil and walnuts (or pine nuts) to a food processor, pulse until combined and starting to smoothen out.
2. Peel your garlic cloves. If you are concerned about them not being chopped small enough in the food processor, mince. Add garlic and cheese and pulse again until combined.
3 Scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula and slowly add the olive oil. I put in about 1/3 a cup at a time. If the sauce is too thick for your taste, add a few tablespoons of water to thin it out.
4. Mix in the salt and pepper and serve. Store in an airtight container to prevent browning.
This year for my birthday, my in-laws gave me an AeroGarden Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden
You can click on the Amazon Affiliate Link to find my AeroGarden
I started growing basil in mine a few months ago and have loved the constant fresh basil! I had so much to harvest this week that I decided to make basil pesto, one of my favorite go-to meals.
I have heard that it freezes quickly and can be defrosted and reused, definitely trying that my next time around.
Basil Pesto is a straight forward and simple recipe. You can substitute many of the ingredients – a few variations include Parmesan vs. Romano, adding in spinach leaves instead of tons of basil, and pine nuts vs. walnuts. I have tried vegan recipes before that use almond meal and arugula, also so delicious. Pesto is also great to add to pasta, grilled cheese, or even as a dip if you like it.
Enjoy!
Alex
Gluten Free Mom 