This Italian classic is surprisingly easy to make and is packed with antioxidants. The added lemon makes the rest of the ingredients pop and adds a bright, refreshing flavor to basil.
This recipe can be made to taste – add more or less or any ingredients to your liking. Enjoy!
Lemony Summer Pesto
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
- 1/3 cup whole raw pine nuts
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp zest plus juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
Recipe:
Toast the pine nuts in a small saute pan over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Let cool completely before adding to the food processor. While the pine nuts toast, place garlic clove in food processor and pulse about 10 times until it’s finely chopped. Add the cooled pine nuts and rest of the ingredients except the olive oil to the food processor and pulse until all of the ingredients are finely chopped and incorporated (about 10-15 pulses). Turn the food processor on and stream in the olive oil, blending until smooth (about 1 minute total).
Serve on 100% whole grain crackers, bread or pasta. It’s also delicious on fresh tomatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad, or added to marinara sauce.
Tips:
- Watch the pine nuts closely, they’ll burn quickly as they contain a lot of (healthy) fat.
- Using 1 cup of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley and 1 cup fresh basil will give a very similar pesto if basil is difficult to find or not in season.
- Substituting walnuts for pine nuts also tastes great.
- Use an organic lemon an wash it really well before you zest it.
- Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Lemony Summer Pesto
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
- 1/3 cup whole raw pine nuts
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp zest plus juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
Instructions
Toast the pine nuts in a small saute pan over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Let cool completely before adding to the food processor. While the pine nuts toast, place garlic clove in food processor and pulse about 10 times until it’s finely chopped. Add the cooled pine nuts and rest of the ingredients except the olive oil to the food processor and pulse until all of the ingredients are finely chopped and incorporated (about 10-15 pulses). Turn the food processor on and stream in the olive oil, blending until smooth (about 1 minute total).
Serve on 100% whole grain crackers, bread or pasta. It’s also delicious on fresh tomatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad, or added to marinara sauce.
Notes
Tips:
- Watch the pine nuts closely, they’ll burn quickly as they contain a lot of (healthy) fat.
- Using 1 cup of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley and 1 cup fresh basil will give a very similar pesto if basil is difficult to find or not in season.
- Substituting walnuts for pine nuts also tastes great.
- Use an organic lemon an wash it really well before you zest it.
- Store in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
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