Basil is the perfect herb to grow, as it is very easily grown indoors or outdoors.. But now that you have grown all this basil you may be thinking to yourself “what do I do with it”? Well making pesto is the perfect way to use up all your freshly grown basil or frozen basil from a previous harvest. It is the perfect addition to any pasta, pizza or sandwich, and making it from scratch will elevate your cooking game and you will never want to return to the store bought sauce ever again.
What ingredients do I need?
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves without the stems
- ⅓ cup raw pine nuts
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
How do I make it?
- You want to combine the basil, and pine nuts into a food processor.
- Then you want to add the Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves and pulse until fully combined, and make sure to scrape down the sides, so that all the ingredients are equally mixed in.
- Slowly pour in the olive oil, while the food processor is running. Add more or less olive oil depending on the consistency of your pesto.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
This recipe is super easy to make and only needs a handful of ingredients, most of which you might already have sitting in your cupboard or growing in your garden.
How should I store it?
Place your pesto sauce in an airtight container, so that it stays fresh in the fridge, and it should be fresh for about a week. When fresh pesto is exposed to air it can turn brown easily, so sealing it properly ensures that you have fresh pesto for days.
This 15 minute pesto sauce is the perfect summer recipe to add to any dish. You may have thought growing basil was easy, but making pesto is even easier.
