Basic Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts or diced walnuts, optional
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper, plus more to taste, if needed
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a blender or food proccesor, blend/pulse the basil leaves, optional pine nuts or walnuts and garlic. Drizzle in 1/3 c. olive oil while continuing to process. Add remaining olive oil as needed to achieve desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
I tend to leave out the nuts because the pesto is much more frugal that way. It still tastes just as delicious!
Tip: If you have extra pesto, freeze in an ice cube tray. The taste stays the same but the consistency loses a little something in the process. So the pesto cubes are perfect to add to marinara sauce or soups in the winter time.