Homemade Pesto Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a basic pesto sauce made of? ›

What is pesto, and how do I make it? Traditional pesto is a blend of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. With a food processor, it comes together in just a few steps: Pulse the nuts, lemon juice, and garlic in the food processor until they're finely chopped.

Homemade basil pesto is a wonderfully versatile and tasty sauce/spread made from a handful of flavorful ingredients. It comes together in minutes and tastes worlds better than store-bought because it's so fresh.

Walnuts are a perfect substitute for pine nuts in pesto because walnuts blend up perfectly. They have a similar fat content as pine nuts, so they blend to a creamy consistency. Homemade pesto only needs a few simple ingredients, so every ingredient is important here.

How Long Does Pesto Last? This easy basil pesto sauce will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container.

THE BOTTOM LINE: While we don't recommend using the thicker stems from a bunch of basil, it's perfectly fine to make the most of your basil bunch and put the younger, more tender stems to use. 1. Don't process thick stems in pesto.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

Potential Side Effects of Pesto

Pesto can be high in fats and calories. Store-bought pesto will contain a large amount of sodium.

You'll want to be mindful of the sodium content. Some jars have more than 500mg per serving and the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines recommend you eat no more than 2,300mg per day. It would be hard to stay within those guidelines if you get more than 20% of your sodium from pesto.

Pesto Sauce

This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.

Cashew for their creamy texture, and almonds for their flavour.

What nuts taste best in pesto? ›

Pistachios, almonds, and walnuts or even seeds like sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin can replace the traditional pine nuts in pesto. Pretty much any edible nut tastes delicious—just make sure to toast and cool the nut before grinding them into the sauce.

Pine nuts are classically used in pesto and toasting them before you add them allows their flavor to shine. Looking for a great recipe? Try adding them to Food Network Kitchen's Basil Pesto recipe.

You can freeze a batch of pesto in ice cube trays for future consumption. Simply fill the portions of the ice tray, and place the tray into the freezer. Then, once the cubes are frozen (it should take a few hours), remove them from the tray and place them in a freezer bag. Label with the date, and store in the freezer.

Make sure the basil isn't wet – After you wash your basil, make sure to dry it very thoroughly. Spin drying is generally not enough. Make sure to towel dry it too, or let it air dry further. You don't want excess water on the basil leaves to water down your pesto sauce.

Oxygen exposure can cause the pesto to oxidize, resulting in a loss of flavor and color.

Pesto, or pesto alla genovese, is a basil-based sauce that originated in Genoa, the capital of Liguria, Italy. Traditional pesto is made with basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan (or another type of hard Italian cheese, such as Pecorino).

Instructions. To make the pesto, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, to taste. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Pesto is usually made with ingredients like pine nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

This may sound like a stupid question—of course we know what pesto sauce is. It's that green, herbal stuff, with nuts and basil and olive oil. But that's not quite right. Pesto is a more generic Italian term that describes a wide variety of puréed sauces, traditionally made using a mortar and pestle.