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.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings People

Calories 285kcal

Author Diana Reis

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 Cups Basil packed cups or approximately 2 bundles
1 Cup Olive Oil
6 Cloves Garlic
¼ Cup Pine nuts
¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
2 tablespoon Lemon Juice juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Pepper

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?

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.

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.

Nutrition