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spoon full of basil pesto

Authentic Italian Pesto Recipe


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5 from 1 review

Description

Authentic Italian Homemade Basil Pesto recipe made with basil, garlic, cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. This will be your favorite pesto recipe once you try it, no more store bought pesto! Plus you can make it in less than 10 minutes!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 30-40 fresh basil leaves
  • 2/3 cup freshly shredded Romano cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

Notes

Store in an airtight container for up to three days. For longer storage freezing is recommended.

Pesto will brown if exposed to air so wrap tightly with plastic touching the top surface to avoid discoloration or top with a thin layer of olive oil before covering.

Pesto freezes well. I find it easiest to freeze it flat in a plastic freezer bag. You can even freeze it in an ice cube tray and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for single serving sized portions!

  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Category: sauce
  • Method: food processor
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 258
  • Sugar: 0.1 g
  • Sodium: 410.9 mg
  • Fat: 28 g
  • Carbohydrates: 1.2 g
  • Protein: 3.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 6.6 mg
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