Pesto is such a fun and easy meal to make that speaks of Summer in it’s abundance. I like to make Pesto at the end of the season with the last of the Basil from the garden. I tried a new recipe the other day and I swear it is my new favorite pesto recipe. This is also a great way to use up the remaining pesto and some spinach from the garden. Before your basil and spinach disappear harvest them and use them in this really great recipe.
Start with some spinach and…
some basil and what can go wrong?
For this recipe you begin with 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves. Now, I harvested them from my garden that morning but store bought works just fine.
Next add 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves. These are best from your own plants but can be bought from the grocery store.
Next you’ll need 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts (you can substitute walnuts for the pine nuts)
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
3/4 tsp. kosher salt ( I use sea salt)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh garlic really adds more taste than the pre-chopped garlic you can buy. I also added a little more lemon zest because we really like lemon.
Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.
Prepare your favorite pasta according to package directions.
Add a dollop of pesto to the pasta in your bowl and mix. Then add some extra cheese for extra goodness and enjoy. Serve this with a simple green salad and you have a wonderful meal in no time.
You can freeze the extra pesto in small plastic containers or ice cube trays. It takes about one- two pesto ice cubes for a bowl of pasta. The lemon in this recipe really adds to the very fresh flavor. Serve it in a pretty pasta bowl with a crisp salad and you have a meal fit for royalty. I hope you love it as much as we do. You can also use pesto to bake fish and chicken.
That sounds delicious!
It’s a really great and easy recipe and you can substitute walnuts for pine nuts. Have a great week, Joanne, and thanks for stopping by.
Lynne
Do I spy ron’s lovely hands in that picture😀
He’s a great line chef. Thanks for stopping by, Susan. Have a great week.
Lynne
I love pesto but have never even thought about making it myself! I don’t have a blender, though! I hope your husband continues to improve!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Thanks, Marsha, this is a great recipe. You can use a food processor or probably a hand blender for this. Have a great week.
Lynne
Pesto is an all time favorite at our home. Good recipe!
Thanks, Bernadette, hope you enjoy it as much as we have. thanks for visiting and have a great week.
Lynne
I had to smile when you gave us the tip about freezing pesto in ice cube trays. I have a tray that makes 1/2″-ish cubes and I use that. I make my bowl of soup “Italian” with a cube (and cool it off!) and parmesan cheese; Al doesn’t care that much for pesto. The spinach combo sounds great–and healthy, too!
It’s a great idea to add some pesto to different soups for that special flavoring. You are way ahead, Kathy! The spinach makes for a nice addition and doesn’t change the flavor much, just adds a little subtlety. thanks for visiting and sharing. Have a great week.
Lynne
Oh, this looks dreamy! I am a big fan of pesto but rarely have it fresh. I need to do this! Pinning. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this at the Will Blog for Comments #13 linkup. Hope to see you next week, too.
This is an easy recipe to try and turns out perfectly every time. If you like pesto, you’ll love this one. Thanks for visiting and sharing.
Lynne
Yum! Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing at Tuesday Turn About!
Thanks, Lynne, this is the best pesto recipe. Hope you give it a try.
Lynne
Lynne, we love a delicious pesto recipe and this one sounds amazing! Congratulations!– Tomorrow (Friday) I’ll be featuring your pesto recipe over at The Crazy Little Love Birds link party. I hope you will join us again. 🙂
https://crazylittlelovebirds.blogspot.com/
Stephanie, the feature is greatly appreciated. I hope you try the recipe it is really quite tasty. Have a great week.
Lynne