Homemade Pesto Recipe

With summer coming to an end that means Mike’s outdoor herb garden is coming to an end too.  This year he grew fresh basil, chives and parsley and I used the heck out of it!  Having fresh herbs for my recipes has been the best.  They smell so fresh and taste so delicious.  To celebrate the end of summer I am making homemade pesto, it’s so easy that I just had to share how to do it!

 

Now, I can’t take credit for the recipe I’m sharing today, it is from the New York Times. What I love about the recipe is that it’s simple, has limited ingredients and is flavorful!  You can have a restaurant quality pesto in minutes in your own kitchen.  

 

This homemade pesto takes less than 10 minutes to prep and make.  And you literally dump everything into a food processor and pulse it until it’s blended.  The ingredients will be finely chopped up and smooth when it is completed.  If your pesto comes out runny I would add more basil to thicken it up a bit.  Here is the full recipe.

 

Homemade Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
• Pine nuts or walnuts (approx. 2 tablespoons)
• 2 large cloves garlic
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pulse ingredients together in a food processor until you have a smooth consistency.

 

What To Use Pesto For

You made the pesto, but now you need to use it!  Use homemade pesto to enhance recipes and create flavorful dishes.  You can use it for a meal or have it as a snack, snacking on it is my favorite.  You can also freeze pesto for later.  It’s great to break out homemade pesto in the dead of winter as a treat.  These are some of my favorite uses for the pesto recipe.

• Topping for a caprese salad
• Pesto mashed potatoes
• Crostini with tomato and pesto
• Pesto chicken
• Cracked pepper triscuits and pesto 
• Pesto pizza with mozzarella and roasted tomatoes
• Veggie sandwich spread
• Pesto pasta and shrimp
• Steak topping 
• Pesto frites

 

Hope you enjoy this Homemade Pesto Recipe. It’s quick and fun.  If you are looking for more recipes be sure to check out my recipe page here.