Pesto with Basil

Simple classic basil pesto recipe with fresh basil, walnuts or pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. This is a super easy 10 minute recipe.

Basil is an amazing aromatic herb which enhances the flavor of food so much. it is a very rich source of vitamin A. Also rich in vitamin C, calcium and magnesium. And being a green leafy helb it is a rich source of iron too. Thus makes it a very powerful herb to be used in cooking and food for children. The herb is widely used in Italian and Thai cuisines.

Every 6 months I grow my own basil in my little balcony. The herb grows very fast and is a very easy to handle one to grow at home. Sometimes I am unable to use the entire batch and since I treat my plants like my own babies, I have it if I just have to let them go. So what to do??? Make Basil Pesto and freeze it so it lasts for 2-3 months. Here’s sharing a simple recipe!

My recipe uses fresh organic basil (grown at home from organic seeds) and other ingredients which are readily available and have adjusted them as per taste.

Tips for making Pesto

• Basil: Always use fresh basil to make pesto. U can even use the soft stems of the plant to make the sauce. But remember not to use the hard stems as that will not give a good flavor to the sauce.
• Cheese: I use Parmesan for making my Basil Pesto but if you like a strong flavor, you can also use Romano cheese. You can omit the cheese altogether if the taste is not as per your liking but I would recommend adding a little cheese as it enhances the flavor.
• Nuts: Pine nuts are usually what is used in making the pesto but you can also use walnuts as I have done in this recipe.

Variations In Making Pesto

• To slightly alter the taste, you can add 2-3 sundried tomatoes while grinding into the pesto sauce. This will give the pesto an amazing arrabiata kind of taste and can be also used as a base for sandwiches, pizza sauce etc.
• You can even add a combination of sun dried tomatoes along with a small grilled onion. If doing this, just make sure that you increase the quantity of fresh basil by half more. Also adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.
• If you want to mellow down the taste of basil, you can even replace half of the basil with baby spinach.

Pasta Recipes with Basil Pesto

• Fettuccine Aglio e Olio

Frequently asked questions

Can I make Pesto without a blender?

Yes you can. If you have a stone mortar pestle, then you can ground all the ingredients together. This will also add really nice taste to the pesto as all the juices of the ingredients are mixed together, but to make a fine sauce, it will need a long pounding.

How to store the Pesto?

The best is to store the classic basil pesto in an airtight container and refrigerate it. It will stay good for 10 days in normal refrigeration. If you want to use it for a long time, I recommend freezing the pesto sauce and thawing it before using. This way you can use the pesto for a month or maybe longer.

If you’ve tried this tasteful Classic Basil Pesto recipe or any other recipe on BakeGrillFryCook, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

More Sauce Recipes

• Green Sauce (Cilantro Sauce)