Description
This easy homemade pesto recipe combines fresh basil, pine nuts or cashews, parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil to create a vibrant and flavorful sauce perfect for pasta, sandwiches, or as a dip. It is quick to prepare by toasting nuts and blending all ingredients into a rough, aromatic sauce that can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 50g pine nuts or cashews
- Large bunch of basil, leaves picked
- 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 100ml olive oil
Instructions
- Toast the nuts: Place the pine nuts or cashews in a pan over low heat and toast them gently until they are golden and fragrant. Be careful not to burn them, stirring occasionally to ensure even toasting.
- Combine ingredients: Transfer the toasted nuts to a mini chopper or food processor. Add the basil leaves, parmesan or vegetarian alternative, and chopped garlic clove.
- Blend or pound the sauce: Blitz the ingredients until roughly combined, or alternatively, use a large pestle and mortar to pound them into a coarse sauce. Avoid over-blending to maintain texture.
- Add olive oil: Pour in the olive oil gradually while blending or stirring to incorporate it evenly, creating a smooth pesto sauce.
- Store the pesto: Transfer the pesto to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep fresh for up to three days, ready to be used as a delicious condiment or sauce.
Notes
- You can substitute pine nuts with cashews for a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Use a vegetarian parmesan alternative to make this pesto vegetarian-friendly.
- Fresh pesto is best consumed within three days to maintain flavor and freshness.
- Serve pesto with pasta, bread, grilled vegetables, or as a spread.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pesto, basil sauce, homemade pesto, easy pesto recipe, Italian sauce, pine nuts pesto, cashew pesto, vegetarian pesto
