Basil Pesto

Basil pesto is a wonderfully versatile sauce, dip or spread that can be made in minutes and pairs well with so many flavours. Use it as a pasta sauce, to elevate a toasted sandwich, to garnish an omelette or with roasted vegetables, chicken or fish to turn a plain meal into a spectacular one.

Pesto is nutty, creamy, shows off the delightful simplicity of fresh green herbs, and is full of Omega-3s making it satisfying and delicious. A fresh summer flavour for anytime of the year, pesto is very adaptable and can easily be made nut free or vegan.  You can buy pesto in a jar (we love Ceres Organic’s vegan version) but there is nothing better than making it yourself and it is really quite easy!

 

Time: 15 minutes

Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups basil leaves (stems removed)
• ½ cup pine nuts (substitute cashews or walnuts; pepitas and sunflower kernels for a nut free option)
• Handful of spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 1 clove garlic
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Alternatively, toast the nuts in a frying pan with olive oil (shaking them every few seconds) for about 3 minutes until lightly browned. Take them off of the heat immediately once fragrant and light brown as they can quickly turn from toasted to burnt. 
3. Pulse pine nuts, basil, spinach and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped.
4. Drizzle in olive oil with the blade still running and consistency is smooth.
5. Add parmesan cheese and apple cider vinegar and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Notes

Pesto is incredibly adaptable, and you can substitute many of the ingredients depending on what you have on hand in your pantry. Pine nuts can be difficult to find and often expensive. As an alternative, walnuts and/or cashews work well.

Using pepitas and/or sunflower kernels in place of nuts makes pesto a great nut-free lunchbox option.

Spinach can be optional; lemon juice works well in place of apple cider vinegar and you can always add in a handful of other green herbs such as coriander or parsley that you may have on hand.

For vegan pesto, use a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast or vegan cheese in place of cheese.

To store, place in an airtight container and cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil (to prevent browning). The pesto will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or up to three months in the freezer. Divide into smaller quantities and freeze to have on hand for a quick dinner or lunch fix (when ready to use, remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator or at room temperature, stir).

 

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