Pesto Sauce Recipe for Pasta
A quick and flavorful pesto sauce recipe for pasta, made with fresh basil, Parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil. Perfect for weeknight dinners or adding vibrant Italian flavor to any dish!
Servings 5 servings
Calories 329kcal
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- ½ cup pine nuts raw
- 2 cups basil leaves packed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh-squeezed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - freshly, finely grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
Serving suggestions: over steak, chicken, or fish, or enjoy as a sauce in pasta salad, pasta, or as a spread for sandwiches, or over bread
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until golden brown for about 3-4 minutes. Don’t get distracted, they can bury quickly.
- Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Once cooled, combine the toasted pine nuts, basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic in the food processor. Pulse for 5-10 seconds at a time until everything is chopped into small pieces.
- Turn the food processor on low and slowly pour in the olive oil while it is processing to allow it to emulsify. Turn it off and scrape down the sides.
- Pulse in the parmesan, salt, and pepper.
This can be used with steak, chicken, fish, as a sauce in pasta salad, pasta, or as a spread for sandwiches or over crostini/bread.
Notes
Yield: 1.25 cups
Store leftovers in an airtight container like a mason jar and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Raw pine nuts can be used.
- Add a thin layer of olive oil on top and cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container (like a mason jar with lid) to slow down the oxidation process. Pesto will slowly start to turn brown when in contact with air.
- Lemon helps to slow down the oxidation process.
- Blanching the basil can help to slow down the oxidation process and help keep the leaves green.
- For a thinner consistency, add a little more olive oil.
- You can alter the ratios if you want one ingredient to be more pronounced, such as more grated parmesan, more pine nuts, more garlic, or more salt and pepper.
Store leftovers in an airtight container like a mason jar and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbohydrates: 3g