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Basil Pesto

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Traditional Basil Pesto made with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and extra virgin olive oil is blended into a thick paste that is perfect mixed with pasta, like this Shrimp Pesto, as a spread on on sandwiches like Roast Beef Pesto Panini. It is so versatile and can be used a million different ways, and it’s super simple to make!

Basil Pesto in a small white bowl sitting on a wood cutting board that has been scattered with pine nuts, grated Parmesan and basil leaves.

I am on a bit of a Basil Pesto kick right now! If you are following me on instagram, which you should, you have probably seen the “Greens Pizza” from the Lincoln winebar that I am obsessed with. Well I have been working to recreate that pizza at home…..all week long!

How to make Basil Pesto:

Place basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor.

Fresh basil leaves, pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese in a food processor bowl.

Pulse until mixture is finely chopped.

Basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese chopped into a paste.

With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until incorporated.

Oil blended with the basil mixture until smooth.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Basil Pesto in a small white bowl sitting on a wood cutting board that has been scattered with pine nuts, grated Parmesan and basil leaves.

I used 2 of those plastic packages of fresh basil that you buy in the produce section, and it was only enough basil leaves to half of this recipe {1/2 cup total}. That is enough to make 2 Greens Pizzas.

Greens Pizza | cookingwithcurls.com

So it looks like I will be heading back to the grocery store to buy more basil and more arugula so I can continue my quest for the perfect Italian Pizza Dough!!

Ways to use Basil Pesto:

Tools used to create this recipe:

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Additional pesto recipes:

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Enjoy!!

Basil Pesto in a small white bowl sitting on a wood cutting board that has been scattered with pine nuts, grated Parmesan and basil leaves.

Basil Pesto

This traditional Basil Pesto is perfect mixed with pasta, spread on a sandwich, or used as a pizza topping!
5 from 1 vote
Print Rate
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: basil, parmesan, pinenuts and olive oil
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 1493kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
  • 2 large cloves garlic smashed
  • 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • .33 cup pine nuts
  • 0.5 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Instructions

  • Place basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor.
  • Pulse until mixture is finely chopped.
  • With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until incorporated.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Nutrition calculation is for the entire recipe, not per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1493kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 153g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 770mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2965IU | Vitamin C: 10.5mg | Calcium: 650mg | Iron: 5.1mg

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15 Comments

  1. Hello Lisa so nice to meet you. love your blog. I am a huge basil lover so this pesto is perfect for my ever growing list of basil recipes. I found you at #partyfromthelanddownunder. I will be back

  2. I love basil pesto, but I’ve never made it for myself. Kind of weird since I make other pestos fairly regularly. 😛 Thanks for sharing this. I’m pinning this in anticipation of warmer weather when the basil overfloweth.

    Also, I’ve never had good luck with thin, Italian style crust at home. I’ve never lived with an oven that got hot enough to get the right texture, so I’ve always had to settle for a bit more fluff in my home made crusts.

  3. Basil is on my list to grow this year…then freeze what I can’t use for winter pesto! I have also heard that you can make fresh and freeze.

  4. My oldest daughter is a huge pesto fan. I can’t wait to surprise her with homemade pesto. Thanks for sharing at the This Is How We Roll Link Party on Organized 31.

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