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My easy Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce is a quick and simple basil pesto recipe that takes less than five minutes to make using easy ingredients! Serve it with everything from pasta to pizza. One taste, and you’ll never want to buy bottled pesto again, trust me!
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Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce
If you know me, you know how much I love pasta sauces. I make pasta just about every week and only ever use homemade sauces, like my pink pasta sauce, lemon garlic cream sauce, or secret ingredient alfredo sauce. One of my favorites to make is this light and creamy basil pesto pasta sauce!
It’s easy to make. Pop the ingredients into a blender, pulse until smooth and creamy, serve, and enjoy. By making your own homemade basil pesto, you can customize the flavors just to your liking, whether you plan on serving it with pasta or as a dipping sauce. (It’s great with pizza, by the way!)
For Nut Free Pesto, Go Here
My basil pasta pesto includes the classic addition of pine nuts. If you want a version without any nuts, see my Nut Free Pesto! You can swap out the parsley for basil.
Basil Pesto Ingredients
- Basil Leaves: Fresh basil leaves are an absolute must for pesto. If you haven’t tried growing your own basil, I recommend it. It’s super easy and very rewarding to have fresh basil whenever you want!
- Parmesan Cheese: For the best flavor and texture, I recommend freshly grated Parmesan off the block. Any Parmesan will do, however.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves of garlic are necessary for this. Powdered won’t work! You can also use minced garlic paste; you just want that fresh garlic flavor and texture.
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are classic for pesto, but check my substitution list below for other options.
- Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper can be added to taste. I recommend using kosher salt or sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Avoid table salt; the flavor isn’t as good.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Olive oil is an important part of the flavor of this pesto, so I recommend a high quality oil!
- Optional: Lemon juice, red pepper flakes
Need a pasta to serve it with? Try making my homemade pasta! It’s delicious.
How to Make Pesto Sauce
- Add the basil leaves, pine puts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil to a food processor or blender.
- Blend to combine until it’s creamy and smooth, adding more olive oil until it’s the preferred texture. Enjoy!
Homemade Pesto Tips
- Choose fresh young basil leaves for pesto. As the leaves age and darken, they can start turning bitter, so it’s better to use them while they’re fresh and bright.
- The fats in Parmesan and Pine Nuts help mellow out the spicy bite of raw garlic, so I recommend you don’t skip them!
- If you have a sensitivity to raw garlic, saute it briefly in olive oil, then let it cool completely before adding it to the sauce.
- The amount of olive oil is flexible! If you’re making basil pesto sauce for pasta, add more to make it a thinner sauce if you desire. For a thick paste to spread on dishes like bruschetta or to use as a dip for pizza or french bread, add less.
Basil Pesto Substitutions and Variations
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts can be swapped out for walnuts or almonds. Alternatively, you can swap them out for seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds if you need to avoid nuts.
- Basil: Basil is classic, but pesto can be made with all sorts of herbs! Try making a blend by adding parsley, cilantro, kale, arugula, garlic scapes, and more! There are plenty of delicious combinations to try.
- Parmesan: For a cow-dairy-free twist, try using Pecorino Romano, a sheep cheese with a deliciously salty, nutty flavor and firm texture.
- Vegan Pesto: Pesto can easily be made vegan by replacing the Parmesan cheese with your favorite vegan parm replacement. I like nutritional yeast as a replacement for parm.
Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe FAQ
Spicy, bitter pesto is a result of not using enough fats such as pine nuts and Parmesan cheese, as well as using basil leaves that are too old. The fresh garlic in pesto has a very spicy flavor that needs to be mellowed out with fat. In addition, basil can start getting bitter as it gets older, so using fresh young leaves will have the best results.
Basil leaves start to oxidize and turn brown quickly when blended, so it’s important to cover leftovers quickly. For the best results, place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the pesto in an airtight container to limit oxygen access.
Yes! Pesto is delicious made with all sorts of nuts. I like using walnuts for their rich, oily flavor, but almonds can be delicious, too! Avoid sweet nuts like pecans and pistachios, as the sweetness doesn’t mesh well with basil.
How to Store Leftover Basil Pesto
- Refrigerator: Pesto lasts well in the fridge, and can be stored in a jar or airtight container for 4-5 days. To prevent browning, place a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the surface of the pesto.
- Freezer: Pesto is perfect for freezing! The best way to freeze pesto is by filling an ice cube tray with pesto, then letting them freeze solid. Once frozen, pop the pesto cubes out into a freezer safe bag. This is the best method for storing big batches.
- Thawing: To thaw frozen pesto, place it in the fridge overnight. You can also pop frozen pesto cubes directly into sauces and skillet dishes!
What to Serve with Basil Pesto
- Pizza Monkey Bread: Dip this mouthwatering tear-apart pizza bread into pesto and taste pure happiness. Seriously. Try it.
- Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf: This Italian cheese-stuffed meatloaf is just begging to be served with a topping of pesto!
- Avocado Pasta: Adding a couple spoons of pesto is the perfect way to spice up a light, fresh plate of avocado pasta!
- Lemon Butter Chicken: If you haven’t tried a combo of lemon and pesto before, they’re the perfect match!
- Puff Pastry Pinwheels: Dip these delicious and easy prosciutto pinwheels in pesto for an appetizer that’ll disappear before your eyes!
Pork Chop Sauces
This is one of my favorite sauces for pork chops, too. Try my other favorites!
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Recipe
Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2½ cups Basil leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped roughly
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons Pinenuts
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoons Black pepper
Instructions
- Add the basil leaves, pine puts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil to a food processor or blender.2½ cups Basil leaves, 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 3 cloves Garlic, ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoons Pinenuts, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoons Black pepper
- Blend to combine until it’s creamy and smooth, adding more olive oil until it’s the preferred texture. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Choose fresh, young basil leaves for pesto. As the leaves age and darken, they can start turning bitter.
-
- Make sure to add in the Parmesan and pine nuts! The fats in these ingredients help mellow out the spicy bite of raw garlic.
-
- If you have a sensitivity to raw garlic, saute it briefly in olive oil, then let it cool completely before adding it to the sauce.
-
- The amount of olive oil is flexible! If you’re making a sauce for pasta, add more to make a thinner sauce. For a thick paste to spread, add less.
-
- Pine Nuts: Pine nuts can be swapped out for walnuts or almonds. Alternatively, you can swap them out for seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
-
- Basil: Basil is classic, but pesto can be made with all sorts of herbs! Try making a blend by adding parsley, cilantro, kale, arugula, garlic scapes, and more!
-
- Parmesan: For a cow-dairy-free twist, try using Pecorino Romano, a sheep cheese with a deliciously salty, nutty flavor and firm texture.
-
- Nut Free Pesto: To make this pesto nut-free, you can swap the nuts out for seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Or, try my Nut Free Pesto recipe!
-
- Vegan Pesto: Pesto can easily be made vegan by replacing the Parmesan cheese with your favorite vegan parm replacement. I like nutritional yeast!
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