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What is Pesto?

Basil pesto is a delicious Italian spread/sauce made out of fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, nuts, and parmesan cheese. This recipe is a great way to use up basil if you have an abundance in the garden like I do. I’m also going to share how I freeze pesto in small portions, so I can use it through the winter when fresh basil is just a summer memory.

“Pesto” comes from the Italian verb “pestare,” which means “to pound” or “to crush.” Traditionally, pesto was made in a mortar and pestle, ground by hand to reach the right consistency. I prefer to use my food processor, which makes quick work of chopping and grinding all the ingredients perfectly. As the basil and garlic are crushed and release their strong flavors, they blend with the olive oil, ground nuts, and parmesan cheese, to create an aromatic and delicious combination. Pesto is perfect in place of red sauce on pizza, as I show in my video. It’s also great on focaccia, panini, tossed with pasta, or even to elevate a basic grilled cheese sandwich.

Got tons of basil? Check out my other basil recipes:

Basil Lemonade

Lemon Basil Soda

Equipment:

food processor
muffin pan (for freezing)

Ingredients:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts, which is what I used this time.)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of salt

Instructions:

Toast the nuts. To do this, spread the nuts in a cast iron skilled set on medium high heat. Stir continuously until golden brown and fragrant. Nuts will burn in the blink of an eye, so don’t walk away!
Chop the nuts in the food processor by pulsing for a few seconds.
Add basil, olive oil, and garlic to the food processor. Process until the mixture is all very finely chopped.
Stir in Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt.
To freeze: spoon pesto into muffin tin cups. Freeze until solid. Remove from freezer and set on the counter at room temperature for three minutes. Then, use a butter knife to pop the frozen pucks of pesto out of the muffin cups. Vacuum seal, or place pucks into a gallon freezer bag. Return pesto pucks to the freezer and use within eight months.

Basil Pesto (Including Freezing Instructions)

Basil pesto is a delicious Italian spread/sauce made out of fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, nuts, and parmesan cheese. This recipe is a great way to use up basil if you have an abundance in the garden. I also share how I freeze pesto in small portions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Equipment

food processor
muffin tin for freezing

Ingredients

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts, which is what I used this time
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
pinch of salt

Instructions

Toast the nuts. To do this, spread the nuts in a cast iron skilled set on medium high heat. Stir continuously until golden brown and fragrant. Nuts will burn in the blink of an eye, so don’t walk away!
Chop the nuts in the food processor by pulsing for a few seconds.
Add basil, olive oil, and garlic to the food processor. Process until the mixture is all very finely chopped.
Stir in Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt.
To freeze: spoon pesto into muffin tin cups. Freeze until solid. Remove from freezer and set on the counter at room temperature for three minutes. Then, use a butter knife to pop the frozen pucks of pesto out of the muffin cups. Vacuum seal, or place pucks into a gallon freezer bag. Return pesto pucks to the freezer and use within eight months.

Video

Notes

Here are some affiliate links for items used in this recipe. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may make a small commission at no cost to yourself.

Food Processor -There are cheaper food processors out there, but this one is fantastic, relatively quiet, and large (14 cups!) I use it often! One of my favorite kitchen purchases.

Muffin Pan