Simple, Homemade Basil Pesto
https://thebesslife.com/building-our-backyard-veggie-garden/Pesto pasta has been one of my all time favorite foods for a long time. My mom always made it for family get-togethers over the years and we usually used fresh basil from her garden to make it. Of course, one of the first herbs we planted this year in our garden was basil! It grows so easily and smells amazing too! I have a whole post on my garden too if you want to know more- you can find that here.
This basil pesto recipe is super easy, you just need a food processor or blender.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 cups fresh basil (loosely packed)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup parmesan
- 2 clove garlic
- 1/2-1 tsp salt (to your taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
How to make it:
- Rinse your basil, trim the stems and pat dry.
- Add basil, walnuts and olive to a food processor and blend until pureed.
- Add the parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Blend until well combined.
You can store your homemade pesto in the fridge for up to one week. If you won’t be using it in that amount of time, I recommend freezing it (should last at least 3 months).
If you plan to use in pasta, cook the pasta according to the packaging and add the pesto directly to warm, cooked pasta. Since there’s already olive oil in the pesto, I don’t usually add more to the pasta. Basil pesto is also great on toasted French bread, baked over salmon or chicken, or on a turkey sandwich with tomato and mozzarella.
Basil is not always easy to find in grocery stores, especially in larger quantities, and it can get a little pricey. I definitely recommend growing some of your own if you can. You can easily grow it in a small-medium pot. Otherwise, I have also used arugula to make pesto and it is just as delicious! Arugula has a little bit of a peppery taste to it, so just keep that in mind!
