Basil Pesto

Basil Pesto has an endless amount of things you can use it on. You can use it as a spread, as a dip, or an addition to sauce and more. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to add it in and ways to use it:
– Use your pesto as a dip for bread
– Spread the pesto on a crostini or other crunchy bread topped with fresh tomatoes and shredded cheese
– Add it to your sauce on pasta
– Stir the pesto into soups for extra flavor
– Add it to your pizza toppings or as a pizza sauce
– Add it to veggies or stuffed in chicken
– Top salmon with it
– Use it as a marinade for meat
– Use it as a spread for sandwiches
– Add it to sour cream or some Greek yogurt and use it as a dip
– Try using it in any of these recipes Caesar Basil Pasta Salad, Italian Sub Squares, Tuscan Chicken Pasta and Italian Gnocchi Soup. 

Yes, you should rinse the basil before using it and pat it dry with a paper towel. No need to submerge it in water though.

I like to use olive oil. That is the traditional oil to use. You can use a lighter tasting one if that is what you prefer. I would pick an oil that doesn’t have a really heavy flavor.

While this is an optional step, I really suggest trying it because it brings a fantastic flavor to pesto. To toast your pine nuts, add to a medium skillet (you don’t need oil or butter) over medium-low heat for 6-7 minutes. Stir them frequently and watch them closely because they can burn fast and easily.

If you can’t find them or don’t want to use them, you can skip them or replace them.
If you’re omitting them, start with only a ⅓ cup of olive oil and add more to your pesto as needed. If you’re need to replace them, you can use walnuts, cashews, or even almonds.

It’s completely normal for pesto to change color and get darker. It can even turn brown in the refrigerator from oxidation. But, this is all normal and will not change the flavor of your pesto.
However, if you don’t want to let your pesto change color, you can add a thin layer of olive oil on top to help keep a barrier from the air. In addition to that, you can add about a Tablespoon of lemon juice to your pesto when blending to help act as a preservant.
Finally, you can really ensure your pesto stays a beautiful green by blanching the basil leaves for 30 seconds and then immediately plunging them in ice cold water before wringing them out completely before making pesto with them.

Pesto should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s okay if it turns to a dark green color, this will not impact the taste. You can preserve your pesto even longer by freezing it.

There are two ways to freeze your pesto. Depending on how you plan to use it, one of these ways may be better for you than the other. First, you can freeze pesto in an airtight, freezer safe container for 6 months, or longer.
Or, you can transfer your pesto into ice cube trays and freeze it that way. Once the cubes of pesto have frozen, pop them out and for easier, more convenient serving sizes. Each cube is about 2 Tablespoons of pesto. All of the cubes can be placed in a freezer safe container and kept in the freezer for easy storing.