I honestly feel pesto is as close to perfection as it gets. This simple green sauce that borders on divine can be used as a sauce or marinade for pasta, meats, vegetables and salads and its proportion of ingredients are fully customizable. That being said, this is my family’s favorite version, served traditionally, with pasta.
Each summer, we grow 3-4 huge pots of basil, which makes enough pesto to feed my family through the winter months. Freezing individual 1-2 ounce scoops of sauce, before vacuum sealing, keeps it fresh tasting and worthy of serving. Using the best quality ingredients will make the sauce that much better.
Originally, pesto was made with a mortar and pestle, but a food processor really makes easy work of preparing this sauce. The basil, salt and garlic are pulsed in the food processor until finely chopped. Continue pulsing while drizzling the oil through the feeding spout until you have a coarse sauce. Lastly, the parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts are added, blending until you have a fairly smooth sauce. And that’s it! Doesn’t get much easier than that.
To store the pesto for long term, you will want to freeze and vacuum seal it. Use a 1-2 ounce scoop, placing the scoops of sauce on a lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for several hours or overnight. Mark each vacuum bag with the date you made the pesto. When frozen, place several mounds in each bag, vacuum seal, and store the bags in the freezer.
If serving fresh, thoroughly mix 1 – 2 oz of pesto sauce for each serving of pasta, cooked al dente, to taste. Linguine or farfalle (bow tie) are our favorite pasta shapes with pesto.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4-6servings (1 cup) | 20-30minutes |
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- 2cloves garlicfresh, roughly chopped
- 3/4tsp saltsea or kosher
- 5cups (20 g) basil leavesfresh, dark green & tender
- 5Tbs (75 ml) olive oil
- 1/3cup (60 g) Parmesan cheesegrated
- 1/4cup (40 g) pine nutstoasted
- Clean and dry the basil leaves, removing long stems. Add to the food processor with the garlic and salt. Pulse 4-5 times to coarsely chop the basil.
- With the food processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until fully incorporated. Add the parmesan cheese and then the pine nuts, blending until coarsely smooth and the consistency of a loose paste.
- Mix with pasta, cooked al dente. Can be refrigerated, in an airtight container, for 1-2 days. Remove from the refrigerator, keeping covered, 30-45 minutes prior to mixing with cooked pasta.
- To freeze, use a scoop (1-2 oz/ #30 or 40) to create mounds on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Cover and freeze. When completely frozen, vacuum seal, marking with the sealing date. Use within 6-8 weeks. Completely defrost prior to using.
Marinade - pesto makes a great marinade or sauce for baked or grilled chicken and fish.
Dip or spread - mix a few tablespoons with mayonnaise, sour cream or butter.