Basil Pesto

Name: Basil Pesto
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 cups
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 3 clove garlic (up to 5); 1 c pine nuts, slivered almonds or walnut halves; 2 Tbsp parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated, optional; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 4 c fresh basil leaves, packed, chopped; 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil (plus more for storage); 2 lemons, juiced; crushed red pepper flakes, optional

By Vicki Butts (lazyme)
@lazyme5909

A very versatile sauce that can be tossed with linguine, or used as a spread for sandwiches.

Rating:

☆☆☆☆☆ 0 votes0

Serves:

2 cups

Prep:

20 Min

Method:

No-Cook or Other

Ingredients

3 clove

garlic (up to 5)
1 c

pine nuts, slivered almonds or walnut halves
2 Tbsp

parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated, optional
1 tsp

freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp

fine sea salt
4 c

fresh basil leaves, packed, chopped
1/2 c

extra virgin olive oil (plus more for storage)
2

lemons, juiced
·

crushed red pepper flakes, optional
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How to Make Basil Pesto

Step-by-Step

Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Toss in the nuts, Parmesan, if using, pepper and salt and chop until the nuts are finely crushed, about 1 minute. Add the basil, oil and lemon juice and pulse for 1 minute more, until smooth. Stir in red pepper flakes, if desired.
To store, transfer the pesto to a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto, seal and refrigerate up to 10 days or freeze up to 3 months.

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