Easy, Delicious, Homemade Pesto you can make in 5 minutes or less

Pesto is a classic Italian sauce traditionally made with Olive Oil, Basil, Pine nuts, Crushed garlic, Salt, and a hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s easy to make, full of flavor, and can be put to use in a variety of salads, pastas, and more.

There are so many variations of pesto recipes out there. Some replace the pine nuts with walnuts. Others use all nuts and no cheese. Spinach is a popular addition. But today, we are going classic. Sticking close to the original recipe and letting that time tested goodness shine.

Fresh Leafy Greens

Pesto is all about the bright fresh flavors. I feel like this goes without saying, but when you’re making pesto, the basil needs to be fresh. You don’t want wilted leaves, and you clearly are not going to be using dried herbs here. Some recipes also call for Spinach, but in this one, we are sticking with basil. I do add a bit of parsley, which gives just a bit deeper green color, and adds another subtle note to the flavor, but you can easily replace that with additional basil if parsley isn’t your thing.

Pine Nuts

These little guys are actually the edible seeds from certain varieties of pine trees. There are many different types of pines that all produce edible seeds, but only a small percent of species have seeds large enough to be worth harvesting for food. They have a soft texture, with a sweet, nutty flavor. Toasting pine nuts makes for a delicious salad topper, or addition to trail mix, and gives an extra layer of depth to this pesto. But if you want a quick pesto, using them raw is still delicious.

Cheese

Depending on the type of cheese you use, the flavors you get will vary. There are so many wonderful options out there that would work beautifully. As long as you are using a freshly grated hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, you can’t go wrong.

Olive Oil

The olive oil you use can also affect your flavor. Although there is a lot going on in a pesto, it is still a good opportunity for one of your better quality oils to shine. In my opinion, a good olive oil should have a mellow, buttery mouth feel, and finish with a nice peppery note. Thats actually a sign of a freshly pressed oil, from olives picked earlier in the season, and is full of anti-inflammatory agents. They tend to mellow out as they mature, but I like the pepper. A great choice produced in the good ole USA, specifically California, is KATZ farm Chef’s Pick Organic. It was a winner for best taste at the California state fair, and checks many of the boxes for what I like.

The truth is that the quality of ingredients will certainly effect the quality of your pesto. However, even if you only have cheap EVOO, and generic parmesan, you’ll still end up with a pretty tasty sauce. Certainly better than anything you’ll find pre made on the shelves of most supermarkets.

Fresh Pesto is so versatile. It can be used in pastas, salads, sandwiches, flatbreads and so on. Here are two recipes where I put my last batch to use: BLT Paninis with Pesto Aioli, Pesto Linguine with Cherry Tomato Confit

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