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Basic Basil Pesto
You don't have to wait until summer's harvest to enjoy fresh basil pesto! This basic pesto recipe is perfect for freezing so you can enjoy it all year long. Yield: Roughly 2 c
Prep Time
30 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 203 kcal
Course:
Condiments
Cuisine:
Italian
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 c pine nuts or walnuts
- 1 tsp salt
- 9 c (9 oz) fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese, fresh grated (roughly 1 cup)*
- 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the garlic cloves and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms. (Add a little of the olive oil if necessary to get the paste to form.)
- Add the salt and basil leaves, a few at a time, being careful not to over-pack the processor. Pulse the processor to chop the leaves down, and continue until all the leaves have been added and chopped fine.
- Add your grated Parmesan cheese and process until incorporated.
- Add the olive oil, slowly, as needed for the mixture to form a smooth pesto with the consistency you desire.
- Once the pesto has been made, it can be frozen the tablespoonful in ice cube trays. After 3-4 hours, the cubes can be removed from the trays and placed in a freezer bag for later use.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- *We don’t add the Parmesan cheese if we are going to freeze the pesto. We will simply add the cheese to whatever dish we are making with our frozen pesto.
- This recipe from 2014 was updated in May 2017. We made the pesto even better! Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Calories
203kcal
(10%)
Carbohydrates
4.3g
(1%)
Protein
6.4g
(13%)
Fat
19.5g
(30%)
Saturated Fat
1.7g
(9%)
Sodium
196mg
(8%)
Fiber
2.1g
(8%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 203
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 203kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 4.3g | 1% |
| Protein | 6.4g | 13% |
| Fat | 19.5g | 30% |
| Saturated Fat | 1.7g | 9% |
| Sodium | 196mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 2.1g | 8% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.