Pesto Sauce

A basil sauce with olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.

For a born and bred Ligurian as I am, small-leaf Ligurian basil, grown in a tiny herb garden where a strong sea breeze can sometimes blow, is undoubtedly the best, and only one worth using for making Pesto... However, having lived so many years far from Liguria, I have adapted to using different basil varieties, with larger leaves and a slightly minty aftertaste.

• Recipe
• Nutrition Info
• Reviews ( 16 )

Ingredients

50 leaves	fresh basil, loosely packed		26 g
2 cloves	garlic
1/4 cup	pine nuts		30 g
1/3 cup	Parmesan cheese, grated		18 g
1/4 cup	extra virgin olive oil		65 mL
1/2 tsp	salt, to be added when pouring over pasta		2 g

Before you start

Only the most tender basil leaves should be used for making Pesto, possibly picked before the plant starts to flower.

A blender or food processor will be very useful to make the sauce. A marble mortar and a wooden pestle would be even better, because the metal blades of the blender do affect the taste of the basil, but it will take the cook with traditional utensils too much time to achieve the final result.

Method

1. Rinse the leaves briefly only if they are very dirty. Otherwise use a wet towel to clean the leaves, then pat them dry between 2 paper towels.
2. Drop the garlic into a food processor and finely chop it. Stop the motor, add the pine nuts and basil, then process until it is chopped. Gradually add the grated cheese and work the mixture into an evenly blended paste. Finally, slowly mix in the olive oil, until a creamy, but thick consistency is achieved. It is preferable to add the salt only later, when pouring the sauce over the pasta, to avoid the darkening of the basil.
3. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and add olive oil just to cover it to prevent the oxidation (and darkening) of its surface. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.

Observations

The pesto keeps up to 10 days in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. Remember to top up with olive oil every time you use it, to prevent oxidation.

Nutrition Facts Table

per 1 serving (70 g)

Amount % Daily Value
Calories 430
Fat 45 g 1 %
Saturated 7.4 g + Trans 0 g 0 %
Cholesterol 10 mg
Sodium 530 mg 0 %
Carbohydrate 5 g 0 %
Fibre 2 g 0 %
Sugars 0 g
Net Carbs 3 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 0 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium 0 %
Iron 0 %

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Servings of Canada's Food Guide

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :

	Vegetables and Fruits :	¼	serving
	Grain Products :	0	serving
	Milk and Alternatives :	¼	serving
	Meat and Alternatives :	½	serving

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Claims

This recipe is :

Free  :

Added Sugar

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DIABETES Exchange

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :

Food Group	Exchanges
Vegetables	0
Meat and Alternatives	0
Fats	0

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Check out our Meal Plans for Type 2 Diabetes

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Reviews

16 Reviews (14 with rating only) 93% would make this recipe again

Sort By: Most Recent | Rating | Most Helpful

Nicola13 5 Pesto Sauce

2010-02-04T06:46:05+00:00 february 04, 2010 | I would make this recipe again

It's so easy to make, and tasty!

Useful 1

CharlieTrotter 5 Pesto Sauce

2009-05-18T07:10:54+00:00 may 18, 2009 | I would make this recipe again

Excellent.

Useful 1

Useful

| I would make this recipe again

1

This recipe is in the following categories

Nuts | Sauces & Dips | Halal | Kosher | Vegetarian | No Cook | Italian

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