The Only Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe You’ll Ever Need

Pesto is one of the world’s great and most versatile sauces, and this tested recipe is sure to become your new favorite.

Pesto is a classic on pasta, but it also makes a superb flavoring when tossed with potatoes, spread on crostini, tossed with grilled shrimp, blended with butter for steaks, and so much more.

Probably invented in Genova, Italy, where fragrant fields of basil grow abundantly, the aromatic herb leaves were originally made into a paste with a mortar and pestle, hence the name. Today we use the food processor or blender. It is a classic on pasta, but it also makes a superb spread on toast for a fresh tomato sandwich, a scoop into any spaghetti sauce brings it to life and adds depth, and toss some in with potatoes and go straight to heaven (click here for the recipe for pesto potatoes).

As background for this how to recipe, read these articles, The Science of Herbs & Spices, The Science of Chiles, The Science of Garlic, and The Science of Salt.

Classic Italian Pesto Recipe

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This pesto recipe will become one of your favorite sauces and can be used on pasta, potatoes, crostini, grilled shrimp, steaks and more. The quality of the ingredients in this recipe is crucial. Fresh basil is essential. High quality extra virgin olive oil is essential. Good Parmesan cheese, real Parmigiano-Reggiano, not “parmesan” from the green toilet paper tube, is also essential.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 1 cup

Course: Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: Italian

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

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• 3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 6 kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon  Morton Coarse Kosher Salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

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Method

 

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1. Prep. Remove the seeds from the olives. Coarsely chop the garlic first because blenders and food processors often don’t do a good job on them.
2. Dump all the ingredients except the oil into a blender or food processor and let ‘er rip until everything is chopped fine, but not homogeneous.
3. Slowly drizzle in the oil while the blades are on a low setting until, presto, pesto, you have a paste. The fragrance is heavenly. It can be kept in a tight jar in the fridge for a week before it starts to brown. If you need to keep it longer, top it with olive oil as a seal. Or freeze it. It freezes very well.

Notes

About the basil. A little Thai basil or mint instead of 1/2 cup of the basil adds depth and complexity, but don’t use a lot.

About the pine nuts. Pine nuts have become obscenely expensive in recent years, especially the good ones from Italy, so you can substitute green pistachios, sunflower seeds, unsalted cashews, and blanched skinless almonds if you wish.

About the olives. The original Genovese recipe doesn’t include olives, but I don’t care. They taste great. There are many ways to make love and as many ways to make pesto.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

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