Basic Pesto
- Level: Easy
- Yield: about 2 cups of pesto
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 16 servings
- Calories
- 170
- Total Fat
- 18
- Saturated Fat
- 3
- Carbohydrates
- 1
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 0
- Protein
- 3
- Cholesterol
- 3
- Sodium
- 81
- Total: 10 min
- Active: 10 min
Ingredients
8 cups packed fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 to 4 cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender until the basil is finely chopped.
- With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil and puree until emulsified. Stir in the Parmesan. To store, transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Cook’s Note
Like guacamole, pesto can turn brownish when it’s exposed to air. To prevent this, pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto before covering and refrigerating. Spoon extra pesto into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid, then pop out the frozen cubes and freeze in a resealable bag. They’ll keep for months, and you can thaw as little or as much as you need. If you’re making pesto just for freezing, leave out the cheese and stir in after thawing.