The Best Homemade Basil Pesto
Homemade Pesto, using fresh Basil from the garden, farmers market or grocery store is simply the best. It’s one of the easiest things to make, as long as you have a food processor or blender, and requires basic ingredients you’re bound to have in the pantry.
Pesto is one of our (if not our favourite) sauces to use cooking all year round. It can be used with SO MANY fish, seafood and side dish recipes, to add an extra punch of flavour; grilled pesto shrimp, pesto coated cod, spicy pesto salmon….the options are endless! We absolutely love it in our Clam Pasta Recipe, it’s our secret ingredient in many dishes.
Once you have pesto in your fridge (or freezer – read the best tip below) the uses for it are endless! While we realize you can buy pesto at the grocery store (we sometimes do in a crunch) there is just no comparing the bold freshness of homemade over store bought.
Lets Talk Ingredients for Pesto
Fresh Basil. Any one else’s basil plant out of control (in the best way)? Lucky for us, making pesto with your fresh basil is the perfect way to ensure you don’t waste any of it! Store/market bought basil will also do the trick and luckily it’s available year round at most grocery stores! Since the basil is the main ingredient – adjust the recipe based on the amount you have.
Garlic. We love garlic, so this is a no brainer ingredient. Plus, it’s a traditional component of pesto, so it’s a must!
Parmesan. Freshly grated parmesan will yield the boldest added flavour, but packaged parmesan will also be just as great. We’ve used both and enjoyed them equally – it’s just preference!
Salt. Salt evens out the bitter basil flavour. Plus, everything tastes better with a little salt! The amount of salt added can be, to taste, if you’d like!
Pine Nuts. Pine nuts are the traditional nut used in classic pesto. But, they are also expensive. Alternatively, we use walnuts and enjoy them just as much. We also recommend roasting whichever one you choose. Roasting the nuts will release all the delicious flavour they add to the sauce.
Olive Oil. The binder, that brings everything together. We use extra-virgin olive oil for this recipe. When adding the olive oil to the mixture, make sure to add it in slowly in a steady stream!
Storage Tip
Generally we are unable to use up all the fresh pesto we make – so we freeze it! Pesto can be easily stored and keeps it’s amazing flavour well.
Pour your extra pesto into an ice cube tray and throw it in the freezer. Once the pesto is frozen, transfer cubes into a reusable bag or container and thaw only as much as you need! These little pesto cubes are the perfect size to defrost throughout the year.
Skål,
Homemade Basil Pesto
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- 2 large garlic cloves chopped
- 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup roasted pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Roast the pine (or walnuts) nuts, in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until nice and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure the nuts don't burn! Place aside and let cool for a few minutes. Roasting the nuts is optional, however it increases the flavour of the nuts and will improve the taste of your finished pesto!
- Place basil leaves, parmesan, salt and garlic into your food processor. Pulse the mixture until thoroughly blended.
- With your processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Once blended add the nuts and process for about 20 seconds (longer if you want your nuts finer). You may have to pause during this process and scrape down the sides, if necessary.
- Store pesto in the refrigerator for a couple weeks or in the freezer for a few months.
- Enjoy!