From Scratch Basil Pesto {so easy!}

This From Scratch Basil Pesto recipe is SUPER delicious and SO easy, you’ll wonder why you’ve ever bought jarred! 

From Scratch Basil Pesto

Do you wish you could have restaurant quality food at home? I’m not talking fast food burgers here, I mean those fancy restaurants that serve fancy sauces and fresh farm to table food. Or something like it. I have a number of things that I used to get only at restaurants, it just seemed so fancy and special occasion and I never even thought to make it at home.

But that’s all changed. And if you love flavorful food that you’d consider restaurant quality, you’ll love this made from scratch basil pesto! It hardly takes any extra time at all to prepare, and is totally worth the effort.

Last year, my garden failed. 🙁  I was so sad. No tomatoes, no basil, no veggies. It was a sad year. But this year, my basil is flourishing! I’m so excited! I’ll have plenty to make boatloads of pesto and freeze it! Then I can enjoy the fresh taste of summer (my favorite season) all year long!

What you need~

• fresh basil
• olive oil
• garlic
• parmesan cheese
• pine nuts

What to do~

1. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

See? Wasn’t that easy?

Tips & Tricks~

• You can add other ‘greens’ to your pesto such as spinach, peas, or cilantro.
• Walnuts are a great substitute for pine nuts if you don’t want to splurge for them. They can be a bit pricey.
• To freeze, fill an ice cube tray with the pesto, freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag. They thaw out really quick and you can use it as your main sauce or add a ‘cube’ to your pasta sauce for extra flavor.
• Use pesto on chicken, fish, steak, veggies, or just bread. The possibilities are endless!

Basil Pesto

Fresh is best! This delicious pesto is so easy to make from scratch, you'll wonder why you've never made it before!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: condiment, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 5 min

Calories: 4kcal

Author: Chellie Schmitz

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil loosely packed
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor.
• Process on high until well blended.
• Store in an air tight container, or freeze.

Notes

To freeze: Spoon pesto into ice cube tray wells. Freeze for 1-2 hours. After they are frozen, gently remove each 'cube' and place them in a ziplock bag for storing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

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