Homemade Pesto Sauce with Greens and Nuts
Vibrant, adaptable pesto made with any fresh greens, garlic, lemon juice, toasted nuts, and olive oil. Blended to your preferred consistency and finished with parmesan or nutritional yeast. Ready in minutes for pasta, grain bowls, chicken dishes, pizza, or sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh herbs or greensbasil1:1classic
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- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup toasted nuts or seedswalnuts1:1commonadds tree_nuts
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- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan(optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Add greens, minced garlic, lemon juice, toasted nuts, parmesan if using, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender.
- 2
Process until roughly chopped, then scrape down the sides.
- 3
With the processor running, slowly add olive oil through the feed tube until desired consistency is reached.
- 4
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- 5
Gently heat and use with pasta, serve with chicken or grain bowls, or spread on pizza crust or sandwiches.
Tips
Add up to 2 additional tablespoons olive oil to achieve desired consistency.
Parmesan can be omitted for vegan pesto or replaced with nutritional yeast.
Good to Know
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Prepare pesto up to 24 hours ahead; store covered in the refrigerator. Add olive oil just before serving to prevent browning.
Toss with hot pasta, dollop on grain bowls with chicken, spread on pizza crust before baking, or use on sandwiches.
Common Mistakes
Over-process to avoid bitter, paste-like texture; pulse until roughly chopped.
Add olive oil slowly with processor running to avoid separating the sauce.
Don't skip tasting and adjusting seasoning; flavor varies with greens used.