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Grandma's Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe

The is a fool proof recipe for best classic basil pesto sauce ever!
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: basil, easy, homemade, pinenuts, sauce
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 252kcal
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • food processor

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano aged
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup pine nuts toasted
  • 10 cups basil leaves fresh, tightly packed
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

Method with Food Processor

  • Use food processor to chop and combine cheese and garlic.
  • Next add nuts.
  • Lastly add basil leaves.
  • With machine running add olive oil

Method without Food Processor

  • Finely chop garlic, toasted pine nuts and basil.
  • Use a fine grater to grate the cheese.
  • Add olive oil and combine all ingredients until smooth.

How to Toast the Pine Nuts

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  • Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Be watchful. Pine nuts can burn easily!

Notes

Pesto sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week. But if you want to make a big batch and store it so it’s ready when you want it do what we do! Store in single serve containers in the freezer so you can have fresh pesto pasta or fresh pesto sauce for any of your favorite Italian dishes when you want it.
How to store your pesto sauce:
  • Fill mini food storage containers with fresh basil pesto sauce.
  • We use reusable 4 0z. containers with lids and fill them about 3/4 of the way full.
  • Leave enough room so you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top to create a thin layer over the pesto sauce. This helps seal in the freshness.
  • Seal the lid tightly and use a sharpie to write the date on a piece of masking tape.
  • Then when you want to reuse the container you can change the tape and write the new date.
Be sure to make enough for family and friends! It makes a really nice gift!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 877IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 1mg