Homemade Basil Pesto

Growing fresh basil

I used to think Homemade Basil Pesto sounded difficult to make. I guess you never know until you try. Living on the third floor of an apartment building doesn’t sound like the ideal place to start a garden so I can have fresh basil.

However, this is the first year we tried growing some plants in pots on our back porch. I’m AMAZED by how well all the plants are doing! We are growing cherry tomatoes, basil, and two types of chives (garlic and regular). After all, this is our first year. We didn’t want to go overboard.

Let’s just say the tomato plant has grown into a 4 foot beast, the basil is thriving so well it’s hard to keep up, and the chives are growing fast too. They must love it back there!

We get a tiny bit of sun on that porch in the morning, but then full sun in the late afternoon. So even in the summer heat, it only gets hot back there half the day. Whatever it’s doing is working. Watering everyday in the summer is key.

Homemade basil pesto

Our fresh basil is replenishing so fast now that we planted it in a bigger pot. Every week and a half I can pick about 2 handfuls. Perfect for fresh pesto! After all, you can use it for anything. Pesto is good in pasta, salads, on crackers, in a sandwich, in a chicken dish, as a dip, or even just on a baguette as an appetizer.

Making it fresh makes all the difference. IT IS SO GOOD!!! Plus, you know the ingredients going into it and have more control over fat, salt, etc.  We love cooking this way! The more homemade the better. And it isn’t very time consuming. I make this pesto recipe in about 5 min, once the pine nuts are lightly toasted and everything is prepped.

Add some spinach

A great way to bulk up your pesto is to add spinach. I usually add about a cup of each, not tightly packed. So, about 2 large handfuls. It is a perfect way to make a little more pesto and keep that bright green color. After all, pesto is a more concentrated sauce. After blending it only makes about 1/2-3/4 cup.

The good news is you don’t need to use a lot to flavor anything you want. For a pasta dish, 2-3 tablespoons is enough. Once you toss everything together with other veggies, parmesan cheese and some chicken, you have a delicious meal! I have a recipe coming on that, so stay tuned. Just remember that a little pesto goes a long way.

Another little tip for this Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe is to lightly toast your pine nuts. Just throw 2 tbsp of pine nuts into a dry pan on medium heat. Toss them around a little, and in a few minutes they will be done. You want a light, golden color. This adds so much flavor to the pesto and elevates it a little more than just using regular pine nuts. The heat brings out the flavor!

More Parmesan please

I also love using a shaved parmesan for this recipe. If you have time to do this yourself, that’s even better. The problem with pre-packaged shredded or grated parmesan is that they usually have to add an anti-caking agent to the cheese. This prevents it from sticking to itself.

Most of those anti-caking agents are not made from natural ingredients. I’ve even heard something about an ingredient made from wood. In cheese? No thanks! Now we only buy block cheese and shred it ourselves as we need it. It works great because you can have slices or shredded at any time.

You can buy shaved parmesan which is a life-saver if you are ever tight on time. It helps a lot. The shaved parmesan is in larger chunks. That works fine since we are putting all of the pesto ingredients in the food processor anyways. My husband loves to just grab a piece or two and eat it. It can be addicting, if you are a cheese-lover like we both are.

Health and wellness

Basil has a lot of health benefits and is a great addition to any healthy lifestyle. Just don’t overdo the pesto since it does contain olive oil. Even “healthy” fats still contain calories.

A few great things about consuming fresh basil is that it has antioxidant properties, can be anti-inflammatory and also immune boosting. A few more reasons to love it! For more nutritional information about basil, check out this post HERE by Dr.Axe. He gives a lot of great information.

Always do your research when it comes to “health” information. There is a lot of it out there. I am not a doctor, but I try and stick to credible sources when looking for great info to share. Just take it with a grain of salt, and know this is just my opinion of what works for my family.

Recipe tips:

-Bulk up your pesto by adding spinach to the recipe instead of just basil. You can make more this way.

-Lightly toast your pine nuts in a dry pan for elevated flavors.

-Use shaved parmesan, instead of shredded or grated, to avoid those anti-caking agents.

-Season your pesto well with salt and pepper.

-Taste as you go to get the pesto to your liking.

-Use less olive oil if you want a thicker pesto for spreading (bread, crackers), and use more olive oil if you like it a little saucier for pasta.

-Store in the refrigerator in a small, shallow dish and cover the entire top of your pesto with a layer of olive oil to prevent discoloration (this may happen when fully exposed to oxygen….just like avocados). Seal with plastic wrap.

-You can also freeze pesto into portions by pouring it evenly into an ice cube tray. Cover each portion with olive oil and freeze until solid for at least an hour. Then store in a freezer bag and use as needed.

I hope you enjoy this Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe as much as we do! You no longer have to be intimidated by making your own pesto. Take control of what you put in your body and try to use fresh, whole ingredients. Don’t forget to check out my Classic Garlic Hummus Recipe HERE.

Let me know in the comments what you thought of this recipe, or what variation you tried. I’d love to hear from you! Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram @_hollynicolas_ for more health/wellness tips.