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basil pesto

lazyme5909 avatar
Recipe by
Vicki Butts (lazyme)
@lazyme5909
Grapeview, WA

A very versatile sauce that can be tossed with linguine, or used as a spread for sandwiches.

yield 2 cups
prep time 20 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For basil pesto

  • 3 clove
    garlic (up to 5)
  • 1 c
    pine nuts, slivered almonds or walnut halves
  • 2 Tbsp
    parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated, optional
  • 1 tsp
    freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp
    fine sea salt
  • 4 c
    fresh basil leaves, packed, chopped
  • 1/2 c
    extra virgin olive oil (plus more for storage)
  • 2
    lemons, juiced
  • crushed red pepper flakes, optional

How To Make basil pesto

  • 1
    Put the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Toss in the nuts, Parmesan, if using, pepper and salt and chop until the nuts are finely crushed, about 1 minute. Add the basil, oil and lemon juice and pulse for 1 minute more, until smooth. Stir in red pepper flakes, if desired.
  • 2
    To store, transfer the pesto to a sterilized jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto, seal and refrigerate up to 10 days or freeze up to 3 months.
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