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Lemon Balm Pesto

Flavorful lemon balm pesto – the best thing you can do when you have a huge bush of lemon balm growing in your garden.

Prep Time
20 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 10 about 350 g/ 12.2 oz
Calories: 67 kcal
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: German , Italian

Ingredients

  • 120 g/ 4.2 oz lemon balm leaves Note 1
  • 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ ½ cup Parmesan Note 2
  • 50 g/ 1.7 oz/ ⅓ cup raw whole almonds (Note 3)
  • 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, to taste
  • 120 ml/ 4 fl. oz/ ½ cup extra virgin olive oil Note 4
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • Fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare lemon balm: Wash and dry the herbs thoroughly. Remove the leaves from the stalks and weigh the needed amount, only the leaves.
  2. Process herbs: Chop them roughly, place them in a food processor, and process to a rough paste. Scrape the walls of the machine.
  3. Add cubed cheese, whole almonds, roughly chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oil. Process to obtain a smooth paste. Scrape the walls of the food processor a few times in between.
  4. Transfer to small jars, pressing well with a teaspoon to avoid air holes. Place the lids on the jars, but don't screw them too tightly if you intend to freeze the pesto.

Notes

  • Weigh just the leaves, not the stalks.
  • Freshly grated cheese from a wedge. Pecorino Romano is great as well.
  • With their brown, soft peel still on, they don’t have to be blanched.
  • Use a mild olive oil, it should not be too bitter, you will taste it if it is. A fruity, mild sort would be great. As an alternative, use a milder oil, like avocado oil or a mix of olive oil and a neutral-tasting vegetable oil, like canola.
  • The recipe can be easily scaled. I always make the triple batch in the Thermomix, but that is a large food processor. If you scale the recipe, make sure that everything will fit in your food processor.
  • The lemon balm pesto keeps well in the fridge for at least two weeks. To keep it for longer, freeze it, it will keep for at least 1 year.
  • The nutrition was calculated considering that 350 g/ 12.2 oz pesto would be around 23 tablespoons of pesto and you would need 2 for one serving. That is, of course, not very accurate, but the best I can offer. The whole batch has 1507 kcal.

Nutrition Information

Serving 2tablespoons Calories 67kcal (3%) Carbohydrates 2g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 2mg (1%) Sodium 97mg (4%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10about 350 g/ 12.2 oz

Amount Per Serving

Calories 67

% Daily Value*

Serving 2tablespoons
Calories 67kcal 3%
Carbohydrates 2g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 97mg 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.