Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce

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Perfectly balanced Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce has bright flavors, and a touch of garlicky spice. This perfect pesto coats pasta beautifully and makes a delicious and easy weeknight meal.

plated pesto over fettucine with ingredients on side

Making Basil Pesto is beyond easy. It starts with choosing a few good ingredients, and ends with a blast in the food processor.

Contents hide

Ingredients

Instructions

FAQs

Chef's Tips

📖 Recipe

Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

Genovese Basil- This is also referred to as sweet basil and is the variety found in most grocery stores. Look for large healthy looking bundles with large, unblemished leaves.

Try to find two big bundles for this recipe. You will need two cups packed. By packed, I really mean stuff the leaves into a measuring cup. Two loose cups just isn't very much basil.

Parmesan Cheese- Good Parmigiano Reggiano is the best choice for this recipe with a mild nutty flavor and plenty of saltiness. You only need a few ounces so it is worth the splurge to have that perfect flavor and texture. If you are in a pinch and can't find a good Parmigiano, then a Pecorino Romano is the next best thing.

Pine Nuts- These nuts are toasted and add light, buttery flavor. A little goes a long way, but they are worth it.

Instructions

Step 1

Toast pine nuts by heating a small pan. Add pine nuts to the dry pan and let them warm through for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them cool.

Step 2

Wash your basil and set it out on a paper towel to collect the excess water. Remove the leaves from the stems by pinching the stems just below the leaf clusters.

This way you will be left with nice, unblemished leaves and very little stem.

Step 3

Measure the basil leaves and place them in the food processor. Add peeled garlic cloves, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Step 4

Blend the basil with other ingredients using the pulse button on the food processor. Scrape down the bowl, and continue to blend until the pesto is evenly chopped and mixed.

Step 5

Serve this pesto over pasta for a light summer dinner.

FAQs

Do I need to toast pine nuts before using them?

Pine nuts are perfectly safe to eat raw. However, toasting pine nuts in a dry pan will deepen their flavor and give you a nice buttery nut to add to a dish.

Does Pesto need to be cooked?

The short answer is no. Everything in the pesto is safe to eat raw and it is actually much more flavorful uncooked. Cooking pesto will dampen the flavors and melt your cheese which changes the texture.
If you are using pesto as a pasta sauce, then you can add the sauce directly to the hot pasta. The hot pasta will warm the sauce through. You can add ¼ cup of pasta water to the sauce to thin it.

Can I store fresh pesto?

Yes! You can keep fresh basil pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze pesto for up to six months.

Chef's Tips

If your parmesan is whole, don't waste time grating it by hand. Simply throw it in the food processor ahead of the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the bowl and blade are dry, then pulse large pieces until you have evenly grated parmesan.

What is the best way to use Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce?

The best thing about a great basil pesto sauce recipe is that there are so many ways to use it. The most popular way to use pesto is to put it on pasta, but it can be used as a marinade or sauce for chicken and fish.

Heat pesto up with cream and make a creamy pesto sauce.

You can use it to garnish sliced tomatoes and cheese for a punched up Caprese salad or just put it on toast with eggs for breakfast. Genovese Basil Pesto really offers limitless culinary opportunities.

white bowl with large serving spaghetti with pesto

I bet you are craving some serious Italian food.

For a hearty Sunday Supper try ...

📖 Recipe

Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce

Perfectly balanced Genovese Basil Pesto Sauce has bright flavors, and a touch of garlicky spice. This perfect pesto coats pasta beautifully and makes a delicious and easy weeknight meal.

4.67 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: People

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Diana Reis

Equipment

▢
Food Processor

Ingredients

Instructions

Toast pine nuts by heating a small pan. Add pine nuts to the dry pan and let them warm through for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let them cool.
Wash your basil and set it out on a paper towel to collect the excess water. Remove the leaves from the stems by pinching the stems just below the leaf clusters. (This way you will be left with nice, unblemished leaves and very little stem.)
Measure the basil leaves and place them in the food processor. Add peeled garlic cloves, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Blend the basil with other ingredients using the pulse button on the food processor. Scrape down the bowl, and continue to blend until the pesto is evenly chopped and mixed.
Serve this pesto over pasta for a light summer dinner.

Notes

Do I need to toast pine nuts before using them?

Pine nuts are perfectly safe to eat raw. However, toasting pine nuts in a dry pan will deepen their flavor and give you a nice buttery nut to add to a dish.

Does Pesto need to be cooked?

If you are using pesto as a pasta sauce, then you can add the sauce directly to the hot pasta. The hot pasta will warm the sauce through. You can add ¼ cup of pasta water to the sauce to thin it.

Can I store fresh pesto?

Yes! You can keep fresh basil pesto in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze pesto for up to six months.

Tips and Tricks

If your parmesan is whole, don’t waste time grating it by hand. Simply throw it in the food processor ahead of the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the bowl and blade are dry, then pulse large pieces until you have evenly grated parmesan.