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4.9 from 120 votes

Pesto

Recipe video above. This is how I make basil pesto. Make it smooth for the best flavour when tossed through pasta, or chunkier if you want to use it as a dip. See in post for a list of chunky vs smooth and a list of uses! Also see how to use pesto to make a JUICY Pesto Pasta (hint: it's not just pasta and pesto).

Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 1 cup
Course: Main Course , Condiments
Cuisine: Italian-American Fussion

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 cups / 60g / 2oz fresh basil leaves (tightly pack measuring cup, Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan, finely grated (tightly pack the cup)
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove , small
  • 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , best quality

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Toast pine nuts - Preheat small skillet over medium high heat (no oil). Add pine nuts and toast until light brown. Immediately remove and let cool slightly.
  2. Blitz pesto - Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blitz until finely chopped.
  3. Add oil while blitzing - With the motor running, slowly pour the oil in through the feeder tube. Blitz until smooth (or to desired consistency), adding a touch of extra oil (or water) if required to help it blitz.
  4. Handheld blender stick - Place all ingredients (including oil) in a bowl. Blitz with hand held blender until smooth.
Storage and Use:
  1. Store in a super airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freezer for 3 months. If it's not a super airtight container, smooth the surface and cover with a thin layer of olive oil - basil goes brown when in contact with air.
  2. Makes enough for: 300g/10oz dried pasta of choice (can stretch to 350g/12oz). See here for how to make a great simple pesto pasta!

Notes

  • Basil - important to use FRESH basil leaves here, not basil that's been in your fridge for a week (goes brown when blitzed!)
  • If using cup measures for the basil, press the leaves in tightly to measure (else you will be short).
  • Variations - Use the same ratios above and switch the basil/pinenuts for any of the following:
  • General
  • Rocket/arugula, baby spinach, spinach, silverbeet, kale, parsley
  • Walnuts, cashews (best sub for pine nuts), almonds, hazelnuts. Haven't tried with seeds like sunflower seeds but I see no reason why they wouldn't work (but I wouldn't use with kale)
  • Makes just short of 1 cup of pesto. Use for 300g/10oz pasta of choice to coat generously (3 large servings, 4 smallish servings), or up to 350g/12oz (4 standard servings).