Summer and basil. In my world, those two words are nearly synonymous. I love all things basil. Fresh basil from the garden with cut tomatoes or with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. And, my first basil love: Basil Pesto.
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I have never been a fan of pesto that included cheese, so this basil pesto is sans parm which makes it Whole30 compliant. If you are want cheese in your pesto, we recommend shaking some grated Parmesan on the top of whatever you are serving.
Basil Pesto
Basil has one of the freshest garden smells I can think of. It smells a little spicy and almost minty. And, that’s probably why Basil Pesto is so delicious. That fresh scent just comes through.
It only takes a few minutes to make pesto in a food processor or blender. I process all of the ingredients separately and then mix them by hand. Start with about 2 packed cups of fresh basil. Give it a whir in the food processor. (We love our Ninja<–affiliate link). Transfer the basil to bowl. Process the pine nuts in the food processor. Then, transfer those to the same bowl. Add garlic–freshly minced, salt, and olive oil. Gently stir to mix.
Once it has been stirred to combine, you can use it to top your favorite meal. We like it on chicken–which makes an excellent Whole30 adaptation. Perfect for a packable lunch. The kids are fans of Pesto Chicken Tortellini which is not Whole30, but sure is delicious. And pesto also makes a super topper on Whole30 Salmon Sliders or oven baked salmon.
20 Minute Meal
It only takes a few minutes including going out to the garden to pick the basil to make up a batch of basil pesto. And, you can add it to so many foods to make a quick, easy, garden fresh, week night meals.
Pesto can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for several months. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop them out to store in freezer bags or you can freeze it in a wide mouth mason jar (which is what I did with the extra from our last meal!). Let us know what you are adding pesto to this week.
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| Servings |
cup
|
- 2 cups packed fresh basil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Ingredients
|
|
- Pulse basil in a food processor or blender until it is the desired consistency. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.
- Pulse the pine nuts in a food processor or blender until they are the desired consistency. Transfer to the bowl with the basil.
- To the bowl, add salt and garlic. Stir gently to mix.
- Pour the olive oil in slowly, stirring as you add it.
