AuthorChandniThis recipe will reinforce your belief in the saying ‘Pesto is the besto.’
I can’t quite remember if I’d ever eaten pesto at a restaurant before I made it for the first time. I do know I looked it up after I saw it crop up on MasterChef Australia a bunch of times. I remember the first time I made it though, and at the risk of tooting my own horn, it was amazing.
Growing up, my journey with pasta had been choosing between the ambiguous white sauce or red sauce. I learned the names Alfredo and Arrabiata much later, and I still don’t make either as well as I’d like, but my Pesto is bloody delicious and I will stand by this recipe any time. I also love it because it can be made ahead and used as a spread and a dip. I’ve even seen it used in butter and on pizza, but I haven’t yet tried making either.
Some tips:
- Buy fresh Italian basil on the day you want to make this pesto because fresh basil does not sit very well in the fridge.
- The traditional pesto recipe is made using pine nuts, but they’re really expensive. You can use walnuts instead.
- Use a good parmesan cheese, you won’t regret it.
Pesto Sauce Recipe Card
Wash the basil leaves and dry them out, either in a salad spinner or by spreading them out on kitchen towels and placing them under the fan. You don’t want the pesto to be too watery.
While the basil leaves are drying, toast the nuts on low heat, moving them around regularly so they don’t burn. Once they’re toasted, set them aside to cool.
Add the basil, nuts, grated cheese, garlic, and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse to blend them together. Then run the processor and gently drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice through the feed tube until it has achieved your desired consistency. I like it a bit crunchy.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this in a mixer-grinder as well. Just make sure you add the oil in a couple of batches and don’t over process it or it will turn into a very fine paste.
Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the package, and remember to save some of the pasta water before you drain it all out. This helps to loosen up the sauce a bit if needed.
While the pasta is boiling, you can saute some toppings you want to add to it. I like chicken, baby corn, or mushrooms but I prefer to keep it simple so I usually stick to any one of these.
After the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add it back to the pot. Then add 3-4 tablespoons of the Pesto sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water if you want a slightly runny sauce. Give it a stir, add more sauce if needed, and toss in your other toppings.
Whisk 1 cup of greek yogurt till smooth and add 1-2 tablespoons of Pesto sauce. Mix well, and you have a lovely, vibrant dip. Serve with your favourite chips or nachos. This also makes for a delicious spread you can use in wraps and sandwiches.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the basil leaves and dry them out, either in a salad spinner or by spreading them out on kitchen towels and placing them under the fan. You don’t want the pesto to be too watery.
While the basil leaves are drying, toast the nuts on low heat, moving them around regularly so they don’t burn. Once they’re toasted, set them aside to cool.
Add the basil, nuts, grated cheese, garlic, and salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse to blend them together. Then run the processor and gently drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice through the feed tube until it has achieved your desired consistency. I like it a bit crunchy.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this in a mixer-grinder as well. Just make sure you add the oil in a couple of batches and don’t over process it or it will turn into a very fine paste.
Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the package, and remember to save some of the pasta water before you drain it all out. This helps to loosen up the sauce a bit if needed.
While the pasta is boiling, you can saute some toppings you want to add to it. I like chicken, baby corn, or mushrooms but I prefer to keep it simple so I usually stick to any one of these.
After the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add it back to the pot. Then add 3-4 tablespoons of the Pesto sauce and a little of the reserved cooking water if you want a slightly runny sauce. Give it a stir, add more sauce if needed, and toss in your other toppings.
Whisk 1 cup of greek yogurt till smooth and add 1-2 tablespoons of Pesto sauce. Mix well, and you have a lovely, vibrant dip. Serve with your favourite chips or nachos. This also makes for a delicious spread you can use in wraps and sandwiches.
Pesto solves everything!
Great write up. May we expect video recipes soon?
Agree 100% and thank you! ?
I’m working toward video recipes but it might take a while.