Homemade Pesto Sauce recipe
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Looking for a classic pesto sauce that you can make at home? Skip the premade store-bought pesto and try this simple Homemade Pesto Sauce recipe.
Scroll to bottom for printable recipe card.
How to Use Pesto Sauce Recipe
Many people think of pesto as something they get from a restaurant on pasta or chicken but never think about making it at home. With this recipe, you will never have to fight a pesto craving or buy the prepackaged store-bought kind again. This recipe is easy, with only 5 main ingredients along with salt and pepper.
Many people use pesto sauce on different styles of pasta but it great on so many other things. Use it on chicken, beef and seafood. It can be used on rice and risotto, salad and even pizza.
What to Serve with this Pesto Sauce Recipe
This pesto recipe can be used in many ways. It creates a delicious dinner and it is easy to make. You can impress your guests by making them this amazing pesto recipe. After dinner, you are going to need a delicious dessert recipe as well. Consider these ideas:
- Instant Pot Apple Cake Recipe – Easy and delicious, this Instant Pot apple cake will knock your socks off! This apple cake has just the right amount of cinnamon, and Granny Smith diced apples.
- Easy Millionaire Pie Recipe – Fresh, light, and scrumptious millionaire pie is just what you need in your life! You won’t be able to get enough of the creamy filling in this millionaire pie recipe.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe – These fantastic and scrumptious pumpkin cheesecake bars are perfect for fall weather! Every single bite is utterly delicious and hits the spot when you are craving all things pumpkin.
Best Pesto Recipe
I truly feel this is the best pesto recipe. It has a strong basil flavor, enough sunflower oil to make it easily spreadable and gives it enough hold power to stick to whatever I am using it for. The garlic is just the right amount to bring out the taste but not too much that it feels like you are eating a garlic clove. When all the flavors come together, the taste is truly the best pesto recipe.
Variations to Cooking with Pesto
When making this pesto sauce recipe, you might want to change it a bit. The most obvious ways to change pesto is by adding more or less of the ingredients in the recipe. This works because it gives the pesto the best taste for how you like it.
Another way to make changes to this pesto sauce is to change the herbs. While I prefer a basil based pesto there are others who make the pesto using a wide variety of other green ingredients.
- Parsley or cilantro
- Kale – If you choose to use kale, remove the stems and blanch it quickly.
- Spinach
- I have even heard of asparagus pesto however, I have never made it myself.
Another simple swap that can change the taste of the pesto is using walnuts rather than pine nuts. Pine nuts are traditionally used in pesto sauce but for some, they either balk at the price or simply do not like pine nuts. Walnuts can be substituted without much change to the taste.
How Long Does Fresh Pesto Last
When you buy store-bought pesto it is filled with preservatives. This does give ti a longer shelf life. When you make fresh pesto it doesn’t last as long as premade store bought pesto sauce. When you make homemade pesto sauce it will last 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
How to Store Homemade Pesto Sauce
When you make this homemade pesto sauce, if you have more than you need for the meal you are serving, you will want to store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator. This will keep the pesto from spoiling for up to 5 days. You will want to make sure to store the pesto in an airtight container. I like to store it in a jar, like a reusable mason jar or a jar that has been saved from other food.
Why does my Pesto Sauce Recipe for Pasta turn Brown
When you make fresh pesto sauce for pasta, sometimes, it can turn brown instead of the bright green sauce that people think of when they think of fresh pesto mixed with the hot pasta. Even when it turns brown, it will still taste amazing but it doesn’t look appetizing. The reason the basil and pesto turned brown is from oxidization. As the basil pesto hits the hot food, it can turn brown as you toss it together. If this bothers you, you will want to blanch the basil before you make the pesto.
Ingredients Homemade Pesto Sauce Recipe
- Fresh basil leaves
- Parmesan cheese
- Sunflower oil
- Pine nuts
- garlic
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Homemade Pesto Sauce Recipe
Place 2 cups of fresh basil leaves into the bottom of a food processor. Pack them down so that there is plenty of room for the rest of the ingredients.
Add ⅓ c. of pine nuts.
Place 3 cloves of minced garlic in the processor.
Sprinkle in ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
Top the cheese with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour in ½ cup of sunflower oil.
Place the lid on the food processor, and blend for 3-5 minutes until you get the consistency you desire for your pesto. If your pesto seems too dry, you can add a bit more sunflower oil to the mixture.
Use immediately. You can also place the pesto into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, or the freezer for 3-4 weeks.
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Homemade Pesto Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 c. Fresh basil leaves
- ½ c. Parmesan cheese
- ½ c. Sunflower oil
- ⅓ c. Pine nuts
- 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Place 2 cups of fresh basil leaves into the bottom of a food processor. Pack them down so that there is plenty of room for the rest of the ingredients.
- Add ⅓ c. of pine nuts.
- Place 3 cloves of minced garlic in the processor.
- Sprinkle in ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
- Top the cheese with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour in ½ cup of sunflower oil.
- Place the lid on the food processor, and blend for 3-5 minutes until you get the consistency you desire for your pesto. If your pesto seems too dry, you can add a bit more sunflower oil to the mixture.
- Use immediately. You can also place the pesto into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for 3-4 weeks.
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