Basil Pesto
This fresh and delicious basil pesto is a highly versatile sauce that comes together in minutes and adds a lot of flavor to many different types of dishes.
I’ve always used this classic pesto recipe but I recently stumbled upon this basil pesto recipe on Natasha’s Kitchen that sounded tasty. I liked the idea of adding some fresh lemon juice and zest to the basil pesto to help make the flavors pop. Her recipe called for the juice of two lemons but I used one and thought it was perfect. This easy pesto recipe was super simple to make and tastes fantastic with its lemony zing. I love having basil pesto in the fridge because it is so versatile and can be used on meats, soups, salads, sandwiches, and/or pasta.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 3/4 cup parmesan, grated
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp juice)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 cups basil leaves, stems removed, tightly packed
- 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
How to Make Basil Pesto
Toast your pine nuts by placing them in a dry small skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown and toasted. Set aside to cool completely before making the basil pesto.
Make the basil pesto by combining the pine nuts, cheese, lemon juice, zest, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a food processor; pulse until well chopped.
Add the basil leaves and pulse a few times to chop.
With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Store this basil pesto in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2–3 months.
Side Note: To prevent your pesto from browning in the fridge, pour a layer of olive oil on top before tightly sealing the lid.
Equipment
- Glass Jar with Lid
Ingredients
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- ¾ cup parmesan grated
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon about 2 tbsp juice
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- 2 cups basil leaves stems removed, tightly packed
- ½ cup good quality olive oil
Instructions
- Toast your pine nuts by placing them in a dry small skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown and toasted. Set aside to cool completely before making the basil pesto.
- Make the basil pesto by combining the pine nuts, cheese, lemon juice, zest, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper in a food processor; pulse until well chopped.
- Add the basil leaves and pulse a few times to chop.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Store this basil pesto in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2–3 months.
- Side Note: To prevent your pesto from browning in the fridge, pour a layer of olive oil on top before tightly sealing the lid.
Looks like a good recipe and I wish we used it more but Bev is so-so on pesto. We always grow 2 or 3 basil plants and we could have made a lot of pesto with last years giant plants.