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Pesto : Make It Now, Use It Later

Main photograph of prepared recipe.

Pesto, or to refer to the original dish, pesto alla genovese, is a sauce originating in Genoa, the capital city of Liguria, Italy. It traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino sardo, all blended with olive oil. It's easy to make at home, and easy to save for later.

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Difficulty Level

Easy

Hard

Needed Items

Durations

  • 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups packed fresh basil
    2-4 large garlic cloves
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/2 cup walnuts or toasted pine nuts
    1 cup grated Parmesan and/or Asiago cheese
    4-6 dashes ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Number of Servings

  • 1.5 to 2 cups

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender

Do-Aheads

  • Wash & dry basil leaves and pull leaves off stems

Additional Notes

Here are some other fun ways to use pesto:
Cheesy Pesto Twists
Oven-dried Tomatoes & Mozzarella