Description
A fresh and flavorful homemade pesto sauce made with garlic, basil, and Parmesan.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 clove garlic (peeled)
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil (1 oz or 44g, packed & divided)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (or nuts/seeds of choice)
- 1/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan (optional but recommended)
- 1/4 to ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 5–7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add peeled garlic, half of the basil, pine nuts, parmesan, salt, and pepper to a food processor (or do this recipe by hand with a mortar and pestle). Blend until finely chopped.
- Add the remaining basil, blending until you get a paste-like consistency throughout, scraping down the sides as needed. Blend more for creamier pesto, less for chunkier. (I like it in between.)
- With the food processor running on low, slowly pour the olive oil into the feed chute and blend until emulsified and uniform throughout. Add more oil for thinner sauce, less for thicker.
- Check out my post for Tips and Substitution Notes.
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Notes
- This pesto can be used on pasta, sandwiches, or as a dip.
- Feel free to experiment with different nuts or cheeses for varied flavor profiles.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 0
- Sodium: 70
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 9
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 2
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 1