This pesto recipe is so easy to make with only 7 ingredients, its perfect for pasta, pizza, chicken, and more!
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces, because of its delicious fresh taste, and its so easy to make at home! My favorite is basil pesto because I’m obsessed with fresh basil, and this recipe is the perfect way to whip it up.
Fresh pesto is perfect to use in a variety of dishes, top it over your favorite pasta noodle, make some homemade pizza with pesto instead of marinara sauce. Spread it on a sandwich, with chicken or turkey. Top it over some baked or roasted potatoes, or over your favorite vegetables.
Its so nice to have a jar of fresh pesto on hand in the fridge for those busy nights when you just can’t think of what to make for dinner. This pesto should stay good in your fridge in an airtight container for about 5-7 days. Or you could freeze it up for a few months as well, just thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to use it. One great option for freezing your pesto is by pouring it into an ice cube tray to freeze. Once the pesto is frozen pop the cubed into a bag and you can just thaw a small amount that you’ll need instead of thawing a whole jars worth.
This pesto recipe can be changed in so many different ways, because did you know you can use a variety of leafy mild to lightly flavorful herbs? And a variety of nuts as well. You don’t just have to stick to basil and pine nuts though that might be my favorite combination, but you can also make pesto with spinach, parsley, or mint. And since pine nuts are often expensive some great nut alternatives are walnuts, or almonds, but you could also try pecans, or pistachios!
You can even use a mix of herbs and nuts in the recipe. I discovered that its a great way to use leftover herbs you might have in your fridge.
This pesto is best made in a food processor for everything to come together well. You can also use a blender if that’s what you have on hand, a high powered blender like a BlendTec or Vitamix will work best.
Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves (stems removed) (or spinach, cilantro, parsley, etc)
- 1/4 cup raw pine nuts (or walnuts, almonds, or pistachios)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/2 TBS garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Add basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil to a food processor. (A magic bullet or blender will work too, but may take longer)
- Blend until the mixture reaches your desired texture/consistency.
- Mix in salt and pepper.
- Use on pasta, pizza, chicken, bread, etc.
- Pesto can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 5-7 days, or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Recipe first posted on Jan 8, 2014. Photos and text updated on March 30, 2018.
Try it with this spinach artichoke pizza recipe.
william grayson says
summertime is the only time I eat pesto because that’s when I grow a big crop of Basil the recipe is delicious thank you
Aimee says
Thanks so much! It’s the best with fresh basil from the garden!
Nellie says
Pesto is my favorite! So excited to make my own!
Stephanie says
This is so delicious! Can’t wait to try it on pizza