Easy Homemade Classic Pesto

Name: Easy Homemade Classic Pesto
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Beginner Friendly, Quick & Easy, Under 30 Minutes, No-Cook, Italian, Light & Fresh, Simple, Garlicky, Light, Nutty, Condiments, Sauces
Ingredients: 60 g basil leaves; 50 g pine nuts; 50 g parmesan (finely grated); 1 large clove garlic; 2 tsp lemon juice (optional); 125 ml olive oil (preferably extra virgin); to taste salt; to taste pepper

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 0

Serves: 8

Difficulty: Easy

From Craig Humphreys's locker

Homemade pesto not only tastes so much better than store bought, it's super easy to make and only takes a few minutes.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

60 gbasil leaves

50 gpine nuts

50 gparmesan (finely grated)

1 large clovegarlic

2 tsplemon juice (optional)

125 mlolive oil (preferably extra virgin)

to tastesalt

to tastepepper

Method Nutrition Variations

Method

Heat a dry non-stick frying pan/skillet over a medium-low heat and lightly toast the pine nuts until they just start to turn golden. Remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly.

Add the basil leaves and pine nuts to a food processor and pulse to finely chop.

Add the parmesan and garlic clove then drizzle in half of the olive oil and pulse, continue adding a little more olive oil and pulsing until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.

If your pesto is a little too thick you can thin it out by adding a little more olive oil

Add 1-2 tsp of lemon juice for a bit of brightness (optional) and season with salt and pepper. Give it another pulse, taste the pesto and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Remember you can always add but you can't take away, so add a little salt and pepper and keep seasoning until you have the perfect pesto.

How to Make Classic Pesto Step-By-Step with Images

Heat a non-stick frying pan/skillet and lightly toast the pine nuts, you want to develop their creaminess rather than making them too nutty, so as soon as you see any pine nuts start to darken turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.

Add the basil and pine nuts to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Parmesan, olive oil and garlic added to the pesto in a food processor

Add the parmesan, half the olive oil and garlic and pulse again to make a thick creamy paste.

Keep adding the oil, along with 1-2 tsp of lemon juice and some salt and pepper until you have a smooth paste.

Keep seasoning and adding oil until perfectly balanced - make sure you taste the pesto while making the adjustments. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.

How to Store Pesto

Transfer your pesto to a clean jar with a little extra olive oil poured on top to preserve it and store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Alternatively you can place your pesto in an ice cube tray and freeze it until ready to use; the ice cube tray allows you to use the amount you need without having to defrost the entire batch.