How To Make Homemade Pesto Sauce
Pesto sauce originated in Italy where fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmigiana cheese were combined with a mortar and pestle. While the original ingredients are still used in many pesto sauces, a mortar and pestle are no longer required.
To make a basic basil pesto sauce at home, you will need:
2 cups of fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup parmigiana cheese, grated or shredded
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, and cheese in a food processor.Want more? Click here/tag Begin processing the ingredients and add the olive oil in a steady stream until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the texture is smooth.
Pesto sauce is best when served immediately over warm pasta. While you can use any pasta variety, penne pasta pairs especially well with the pesto sauce.
You can experiment with pesto sauce by adding sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, or fresh arugula. Walnuts can be substituted in place of pine nuts.
Pesto sauce can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for several days, or you can freeze it to be used later.
