It takes just 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make the best-tasting homemade basil pesto!
There's something so comforting about a bowl of pasta, and nothing elevates a simple bowl of pasta quite like homemade pesto.
It's rich flavor - full of cheese and garlic with a hint of nuttiness - makes pesto my all-time favorite pasta topping. But pesto is great with so much more than just pasta! I love it spread on crackers, with a cheese board, and especially in hollandaise sauce on my eggs Benedict!
The best thing about pesto is how quick and easy it is to make! It only takes 10 minutes to toss 6 simple ingredients into the food processor, and then you're ready to serve. Watch the video above to see just how easily this recipe comes together. It's perfect for a speedy weeknight meal, but also impressive enough to serve at a casual dinner party with friends.
Homemade Basil Pesto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil, firmly packed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. pine nuts (or walnuts)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except for the cheese, into a food processor. Blend the ingredients thoroughly, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides with a spatula. Then add the cheese and blend until mixed.
- Serve with your favorite pasta and more parmesan cheese.
Notes
Storage:
- In the Fridge: If you don't plan to eat all the pesto right away, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Put the remaining pesto in a jar, top with a thin skin of olive oil, seal the jar, and place the jar in the fridge.
- In the Freezer: Pesto can also be stored in the freezer for up to 8 months. If you're planning to freeze the pesto, do not add the cheese when blending. Freeze the pesto in a storage bag. When ready to eat, thaw the pesto and then blend with the cheese before serving.
Keywords: basil pesto, homemade
This post was updated in August 2017 to include a recipe video and new recipe photos.
Sarah
A) YOU CAN FREEZE PESTO?! World changed.
B) I will most certainly like to know how you know that you can store pesto in the freezer for 8 months. Like why not 5? Why not 10? Why 8? What happens at 8?
C) I will take this please. It looks more than delicious.
<3
- Sarah 🙂
http://www.thecrownbijoux.blogspot.com
Allison
a) You sure can! Isn't it great!?!
b) Hahaha that's a great question! I've managed to store homemade pesto in the freezer for a good amount of time, but I find that once pesto has been in the freezer for about a year it looses some of it's flavor. I recommend 8 months just to be safe, but you may find that you can store it a little longer!
c) Sounds great! Let's plan a dinner party 🙂
xx Allison
Deniz at Dressed Up Deniz
This sounds so yummy (:
- Deniz
http://www.dressedupdeniz.com