Easy Classic Pesto
It’s as simple as opening a store-bought jar! Our Easy Classic Pesto is the epitome of a fresh, herbal, bright Italian sauce that’s a fantastic addition to pasta and so much more!
This sauce has to be one of my absolute favorite classic Italian recipes. To me, it encapsulates the very core of what makes Italian cuisine so amazing: fresh, simple, and high quality ingredients that stay true to themselves while highlighting the others to create beautiful and harmonious flavors. That’s exactly what you get with our Easy Classic Pesto!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Basil – Essential to this Italian classic. There is no substitute, fresh is the only option!
- Parmesan Cheese – While Parm is of course the classic, you can also get away with using a similar hard cheese like asiago or romano.
- Pine Nuts – Pine nuts are key for a true pesto, but I do love to play with the flavors of other nuts like hazelnuts and walnuts, too!
- Garlic and Salt – Just a touch! While I am normally all about garlic, for a pesto that remains well balanced, you’ll want to restrain yourself from using too much here.
- Lemon Juice – Just enough to add the right amount of acidity to tie it all together.
Easy to Make
First step, toast the pine nuts. Just enough to bring out their beautiful nutty flavor, but be careful not to burn them! This is an optional step, but it adds a depth of flavor that’s worth the extra couple of minutes.
One of the best things about this Easy Classic Pesto, unlike some other iconic Italian recipes (like risotto or tiramisu), is that it is so incredibly simple to make. Just toss it all (except the olive oil) into a food processor or blender, and give it a good mix. Then slowly add the oil and once it’s done, the moment you open that lid to that food processor, you’ll be hit with the aromatics of this beautiful, classic sauce!
So fresh and beautiful and even better, this Easy Classic Pesto was ready in mere minutes!
You Also Might Like
- Parsley Pesto Green Beans
- Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Rolls
- Fennel Frond Pesto
- Homemade Italian Seasoning
- Easy Chicken Scampi
So many ways to enjoy!
Our Easy Classic Pesto is ready for anything! Use it with some fresh pasta, or as a condiment for a sandwich. Top our cheesy pull apart rolls, with it or enjoy it with a homemade baguette for crostini. The possibilities are endless!
Pasta is one of our favorite ways! Plus, when you have a batch of this pesto in the fridge ready to go, it makes for an incredibly quick and easy dinner!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Easy Classic Pesto
Equipment
- kitchen scale optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil, packed 3 oz with stems, 1.75 oz without stems
- 1/4 cup pine nuts 20 g, toasted
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 4 g
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic medium sized
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 40 g or 1.5 oz, shredded
- 1/2 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil 303 g or 4 oz
Instructions
- Toast: Over medium low heat, in a saute pan, toast pine nuts for about 2 minutes.
- Blend: Add the basil, salt, lemon juice, garlic clove, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts to the food processor or blender. Blend a few times before slowly adding the oil as it is running. Blend until the pesto is a consistency that you want.
- Store for later, or use immediately.
