There are some things that are so easy to make you wonder why anyone would buy it pre-made from the store. Pesto is one of those things! Listen, I’ve totally been there and bought a jar when I was in a pinch. The good thing about it though, is that it keeps in the fridge (just cover the top of it with some olive oil to help with the oxidation) for up to a week. So if you’re making this for a dinner party, make it ahead of time! That’s what I did this past weekend.
Pesto can be put on top of pasta, gnocchi, meats, spread on sandwiches, use on pizzas, mix into salad dressing, mix into dips, stirred into rice for some extra flavor and you can drizzle it on top of almost anything for a little color! It really is a versatile sauce to have on hand.
This recipe for pesto sauce makes about 2 1/2 cups worth of sauce. Which is enough to feed 10 people when over gnocchi or pasta!
Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan
- 3/4 cup good olive oil plus more to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper more to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend on high for 1 minute.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week in a mason jar. If doing that, cover the top of the sauce with a little more olive oil to prevent oxidation. Heat before serving.
How do you like using pesto sauce? Let me know!
xx
Tessa
