Pesto, that irresistible, fragrant green sauce made from fresh basil, garlic, and pine nuts, is one of Italy’s most delightful gifts to the world. Pesto brings a burst of flavor to any dish it touches. Whether you’re tossing it with pasta, drizzling it over fish, or dolloping it on vegetable minestrone, pesto has the magic to elevate your meal. If you’ve only ever tasted store-bought pesto, treat yourself to homemade. It’s a breeze to make and once you do, you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients
▢ 4 cups tightly packed fresh basil
▢ 2 cups fresh arugula or spinach
▢ 1/3 cup pine nuts, roasted
▢ 2 cloves fresh garlic
▢ 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (I am a Noochylicious fan)
▢ 1/4 to 1/3 cup aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
▢ 2 Tbsp lemon juice
▢ 1 tsp salt
▢ Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Directions
Heat a skillet on medium. Lightly roast pine nuts until golden brown (or buy pre-roasted pine nuts and skip this step). Set aside to cool 1 to 2 minutes.
Place the basil, spinach, and pine nuts in the food processor and blend to combine.
Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, and black pepper to the food processor. Blend again.
Open the top of the food processor and slowly add the aquafaba with the food processor running. (Or skip this step and add aquafaba in previous step.)
Serve immediately as a pizza base, over pasta or roasted vegetables OR store in an air-tight container up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.
Download recipe pdf here
Why Do I Love This?
I love this food processor because it is a tough work horse. I make peanut butter regularly and that requires 10 minutes of grinding, but it handles the job. The 9-cup bowl is big enough to handle any volume I’ve needed or wanted to process without being so big that it takes up more room on the counter or is clunky. All the blades store inside it and it’s easy to clean. I use the food processor for those things that I will be spooning out and the blender for things that will pour out.
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