Fresh pesto is the best. It’s rich and bursting with flavor from a few of my all-time favorite foods: garlic and basil. Pesto is super versatile and can be eaten on top of anything from pasta to roasted veggies. It’s easy to find prepared pesto in a jar at your local supermarket, but making it fresh is truly the best way to eat it. With the help of a food processor, you can have this sauce ready in 5-10 minutes tops.
I made a batch last night, using lots of nuts and leaving out the Parmesan cheese you normally find in pesto recipes. Personally, I don’t miss the cheese AT ALL. The flavor from the toasted nuts, garlic, and fresh herbs provide plenty of flavor on their own, and the olive oil and nuts provide a healthy fat content, making the sauce rich and satisfying. Seriously, there’s no need to add cheese on top of all that.
I didn’t get specific with the all the measurements, because pesto is one of those things you can just eyeball. Try making this for your next Italian-themed dinner. The sauce will please your guests and most people won’t know just how easy it was to prepare.
Pesto Without Cheese
1 big bunch fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup walnuts
4 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Toast the pine nuts and walnuts in the oven or in a saute pan. Add the nuts to your food processor. Roughly chop the garlic and add it to the processor with the nuts. Process on high for about 10-15 seconds until they begin to form a fine meal. Rinse the basil with water and pat dry. Add the basil to the food processor with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Turn on the food processor again on high again and drizzle olive oil in a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Remember you can always add more olive oil later if you need it. Store leftovers in the refrigerator with a layer of olive oil on top. The sauce will keep for about one week.
Tip 1: It’s easy to burn pine nuts or walnuts. I like to toast mine in a saute pan, stirring them constantly until they turn a perfect golden brown. My rule: never walk away from a pan of nuts when you’re trying to toast them. They can go from beautiful to burned in a matter of seconds. Tip 2: When it comes to pesto, a little goes a long way. It is rich and high in calories, so just try a little dollop on top of pasta or veggies, and stir well to coat all your food with the sauce.
Do you have a special pesto recipe you’d like to share? If so, leave me a comment.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Ever since I became lactose intolerant, I’ve been remaking all my favorite recipes. A lot of them, like pesto, don’t even need the cheese! I’m glad I’m not the only who enjoys it this way.
I love playing with the adds in though. I made a really good pesto with almonds, spinach, and parsley. It’s more or less the same recipe as yours, just with these substitutions.
Nice! I’ll have to try some of those variations.
I think you just inspired a pesto pizza night. I love to make pesto with spinach, too, but arugula is also awesome in pesto. I’ve also used sunflower seeds when I didn’t have nuts on hand and it was still great.
Mmmmm… I just adore pesto, and am thankful for this recipe as I’m trying to reduce my dairy intake. There’s nothing like pesto fresh out of the blender made with fresh basil from my local farmer’s market!
I love garlic scape pesto. The garlic scapes replace the basil. I’ll have to try it without the parmesan cheese. My garlic scapes should be appearing in my garden in about a month.
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Made some pesto last night with basil from my “garden”! First thing I ever successfully grew! I too used walnuts, but did not include pine nuts. I’m a huge fan of cheese, so I had to keep it in there, but I made a bit of a thicker pesto without so much oil. Would like to try a sun dried tomato pesto next!