This everyday Easy Pesto Recipe is the only pesto recipe you need. It's delicious on pasta, sandwiches, or even by the spoonful. Once you learn how to make this basic basil pesto recipe, you'll have the skills you need to get creative with your pesto.
Friends, we're heading back to the basics today. Only except when I say basics I mean the most delicious, life-changing, 5-minute sauce you'll ever make. We're talking about an easy pesto recipe because we LOVE good food and love it even more when it's EASY.
They (←who the heck are “They” anyway?) say that there are five sauces that every chef should know by heart. I think that “They” don't know what they're talking about. I mean, who makes Espagnole and velouté, anyway?
Helllloo, it's 2016 and the ONLY sauce you need/ want/ have to have every day for always is this one.
Once you master how to make this easy pesto recipe (and I can assure you that it is super crazy easy) then you'll have the building blocks to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for the rest of your life. No lie.
So here's what you're going to do:
- Throw the ingredients into your food processor or blender.
- Blend until everything gets nice and cozy together.
- Put your easy pesto on EVERYTHING.
Get your pesto on all day long, yo!
Breakfast pesto →
- In an omelette
- Dip for your hash browns
- Over eggs benny
- Dripping out of your breakfast sandwich
Lunch pesto →
- Dip for your veggies
- Mixed with mayo and spread on your sandwich
- Rolled up in your wrap
- Tossed with quinoa and veggies
- Spooned into your soup
Dinner pesto →
- Pasta!
- Over grilled meat
- Over seared fish
- Mixed in with rice
- On your roasted veggies
- As pizza sauce
- On your burger
- Dip for your fries
Pesto basically begs to be changed and made new every time you make it. Did you see that picture up there with all the ingredients? ☝️ Every one of those can be swapped for something else. Don't worry, it's easy to get creative.
As long as you have some greens, nuts, and oil you can make your own 5-minute pesto. You've got this!
Create your own easy pesto recipe:
The Greens
Choose one or more of any of these:
Basil, kale, parsley, spinach, steamed broccoli, green onions (green part only!), cilantro, arugula, sun dried tomatoes, garlic scapes, carrot tops, radish tops, beet greens, or peas
The Nuts
Make different combinations and use them toasted for more flavor or untoasted for a more subtle pesto. Choose any or all of these:
Pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or Brazil nuts.
The Cheese
Parmigiano Reggiano is the traditional pesto cheese, but you can use others or leave it out entirely for a vegan pesto sauce. Try these:
Parmesan, grana padano, pecorino, asiago, goat cheese, or nutritional yeast.
The Citrus
Lemon is classic, but you can leave it out in a pinch or experiment with different flavors. Extra lemon juice for pesto with fish, orange pesto with basil and mint or lime pesto with cilantro.
The Oil
Olive oil is traditionally used as it is flavorful and goes well with basil. While any oil will work, avoid using flavorless oils (canola, grapeseed, sunflower seed) as you'll miss out on a big part of the flavor in pesto. Try these:
Olive oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, argan oil, pumpkin seed oil or hazelnut oil.
Everyday Easy Pesto Recipe video:
If you make this Everyday Easy Pesto Recipe make sure you snap a pic and tag #theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your pictures. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!
- 2 cups basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or very finely minced
- A generous pinch of sea salt
- Place all the ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend until mostly smooth.
- Serve over pasta, on sandwiches, as a dip.
I've put this Easy Pesto Recipe into both the vegan and paleo categories. In both cases, omit the parmesan or replace it with a little nutritional yeast. See the blog post for more ideas on how to get creative with your pesto!
Delicious recipes featuring pesto:
Pesto Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips
Creamy Avocado Pesto Zucchini Noodles with Burst Tomatoes
Easy Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna with Kale Olive Pesto
Grilled Rack of Lamb with Fresh Pea and Mint Pesto
Grilled Potato Salad with Scallion Pesto, Blistered Tomatoes, and Quail's Eggs
Pan Seared Salmon with Creamy Sunflower Dill Pesto
Kristen Stevens
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Kristen is the person working behind the scenes at The Endless Meal. She takes all the pics, creates all the recipes and eats all the leftovers. 
What amount of nutritional yeast should be used for the vegan version of pesto? I am new to this site. How do I know when an answer is posted?
Hi Mimi. Welome to The Endless Meal! When I’m making vegan pesto, I typically add about 1 tablespoon. 🙂