If you like bright, fresh flavors, this homemade basil pesto is a recipe you’ll want to keep repeating. Made with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and olive oil, it has a rich basil flavor that tastes incredible for every season. This pesto recipe combines quickly in a food processor to create a smooth, vibrant Italian sauce that you can use in countless ways. From tossed with hot pasta to spread on sandwiches or stirred into pasta salads, this versatile sauce always adds something special.
Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze pesto. I like to use these freezer trays to freeze and then store.
Toss it with homemade or hot pasta, stir it into pasta salads, spread it on sandwiches, swirl it into soups, or use it as a sauce for chicken, shrimp or vegetables. It even makes an incredible pizza base.
Yes! While pine nuts are the traditional nut, sunflower seeds, walnuts, or other different nuts work well and still make a great pesto.
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Ingredient description
- fresh basil
- Parmesan cheese: Some other common cheeses used here are asiago or romano. Really, any hard cheese will work, just make sure you grate it first.
- olive oil: You can use another vegetable oil here if you prefer. You can also use ricotta cheese here to make a low-fat version.
- Toasted pine nuts: You can substitute chopped walnuts here, or other nuts of your choice. You can also take the nuts out entirely and it’ll still be delicious.
- Shredded blue cheese: Can be substituted with blue cheese or feta cheese
- lemon juice
- Garlic cloves: I recommend using fresh garlic for pesto.
- Salt: Blue cheese is a fairly salty cheese, so be sure to only use this amount before tasting the pesto.
- black pepper
- dried oregano
Homemade pesto
- In a food processor, pulse together fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, blue cheese, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Continuously run the food processor while slowly pouring in the olive oil until combined. If not completely mixed, use a spoon to mix in the rest.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
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How to Make Homemade Pesto Sauce
This homemade pesto recipe combines quickly in a food processor to create a smooth, vibrant Italian sauce that you can use in countless ways.
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Calories: 195kilocalories | carbohydrate: 2gram | protein: 4gram | Fat: 20gram | Saturated fat: 4gram | Polyunsaturated fat: 3gram | Monounsaturated fat: 11gram | cholesterol: 7milligrams | sodium: 216milligrams | Potassium: 68milligrams | fiber: 0.4gram | sugar: 0.5gram | Vitamin A: Chapter 449IU | Vitamin C: 2milligrams | calcium: 92milligrams | iron: 1milligrams
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Meals is not a nutritionist or nutritionist and any nutritional information shared is an estimate only. If you need to verify any information, we recommend calculating the ingredients through an online nutrition calculator.
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