My boyfriend has two huge basil plants on his deck, and we had a fairly large harvest this weekend. He wanted to make pesto. We thought of several different recipes, but I ultimately decided on a pasta with grilled shrimp, zucchini, and squash. We had some leftover, which will most likely become a pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, tomato, and pepperoni later in the week.

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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Pesto

Homemade pesto is an easy recipe to make with fresh basil. Fresh garlic adds a zesty flavor.

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: fresh basil, pesto

Servings: 1 cup

Equipment

• Blender or food processor

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh basil stems removed
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 3 cloves garlic grated
• ½ cup pine nuts lightly toasted
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper

Instructions

• Combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a blender or food processor. Pulse until the ingredients start to get combined.
• With the hole of the lid open, stream in the olive oil while the blender or food processor is running. Continue blending slowly until everything is blended. Stop and scrape the sides of the container as needed.

Notes

Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Before putting the lid on the container, press plastic wrap down on top of the pesto so that no air can get to the pesto.