Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce is an easy and delicious sauce for any quick dish during summertime! Fresh basil with a little garlic, some walnuts and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese blended with extra virgin olive oil can easily be whipped up in less than 10 minutes!
Our mom usually makes her pesto sauce with pignoli, which are pine nuts. I really don’t care for the taste of pine nuts, so I have been using walnuts instead of the pine nuts in my pesto sauce. No one seems to mind, they love it the same!
But if you decide to eliminate the nuts all together, you still get a great tasting pesto sauce. For sure!
Keep in mind, fresh basil pesto sauce is very versatile! You can drizzle some on salads, on grilled shrimp, fresh garden tomatoes and mozzarella. You can even add some to soups for extra flavoring! I make it all year long and use it with so many recipes. In my family, everyone’s favorite dish is spaghetti with fresh basil pesto sauce – hands down!!
You can also use this fresh basil pesto sauce with our recipes for Chicken Rollatini with Pesto and Mozzarella, and our favorite Flounder Filet Rollatini.
While fresh basil pesto sauce tastes so much better than store bought, you can actually taste the difference! And it’s so much better for you. When you make it homemade you know you are getting quality ingredients and not garbage ones like fillers or corn syrup.
Take our word for it! It’s worth making it yourself! Fresh is always BEST!
Keep in mind, if you have family members that have nut allergies? Leave out the nuts completely! The taste will still be delicious!!
Here’s a Tip:
Keep fresh basil pesto sauce in an air-tight jar, refrigerated. Add a small amount of olive oil on top of the sauce in the jar after every time you use some. It keeps fresh up to 4 months. I will be using this fresh basil pesto sauce in various recipes, so stay tuned!
And for another delicious and fresh tasting pesto? Try our Easy Kale and Spinach Pesto Sauce! It too won’t disapoint!!
ENJOY!!
Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce
Recipe type: Pesto Sauce / Condiment
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 cups
Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce is an easy and delicious sauce for any quick dish anytime! Fresh basil with a little garlic, some walnuts and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese blended with extra virgin olive oil can easily be whipped up in less than 10 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of basil - about 2 cups or more - packed
- ½ cup (plus extra as needed) extra virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ⅛ tsp. of salt
- dash of cayenne pepper
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
- optional: ¼ cup walnuts
Instructions
- First, remove only the leaves of basil, discard all the stems. Using a salad spinner to rinse fresh basil under cold water, then spin out excess water.
- Using a blender, pour in only ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, and toss in the basil leaves, garlic cloves, grated parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Blend on high speed or puree all ingredients in a food processor. Then, check the mixture. If the mixture is too thick, drizzle a little more olive oil into the mixture, do this only in small increments and blend until it reaches a nice smooth consistency.
- Taste the pesto, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Store in air-tight jar or container. Keep refrigerated up to 4 months.
- Yields: about 2 cups
Hey friends, are you cooking with us? If you make this delicious pesto sauce, leave a comment on the bottom of this page. Snap a photo and hashtag it on Instagram #2sistersrecipes, or on Pinterest. We’d love to see what you cook!
Thanks for stopping by!
Anna and Liz
1 Comment
Spaghetti with Basil Pesto Sauce - 2 Sisters Recipes by Anna and Liz
November 28, 2017 at 11:48 am[…] the best part is making this under 10 minutes! A few days ago we posted the recipe for our Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce. It’s a satisfying dish with spaghetti and one that we make often for our families. You […]