Classic Pesto Recipe | Basil Pesto | How to Make Pesto Sauce

Pesto may be a delicious flavourful sauce to you. is originated in Genoa, which is found in the Northern region of Italy. This sauce invented in the 16th century and traditionally consists of minced garlic, Fresh Basil, pine nuts, and blended with parmesan cheese and Olive oil. But sometimes cashew nuts and walnuts are using in pesto sauce. Pesto could be a healthy sauce, pesto is high in fat & calories. But also contains some nourishing vitamins, minerals. Pesto provides a decent immune system to the body with maintaining cell health & keep your heart healthy. Pesto sauce is very important in culinary, it is used in pasta, risotto, use as a veggie dip, spread on bread, stir in mash potato, use for making pesto butter, use in stuff chicken breast, enjoy with eggs, and use in Italian classic salad called Caprese salad. Today I will share the classic Pesto sauce recipe with you which you can use in different foods which I mention up there. You can store pesto sauce in a ceramic container for at least 5 days in the fridge, and cover the pesto sauce with olive oil to stop oxidation or discoloration.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil - 200gm

Extra virgin olive oil 500ml

pine nut - 30gm (cashew/walnut are optional use if you won't find pine nuts)

Garlic cloves - 10  pieces

salt - to taste

Black pepper crushed - 1tsp(optional for more taste)

Preparation Method :

• First, remove the fresh basil leaves from branches, now clean the leaves properly.

• If you want good colour in your pesto sauce, you can blanch your basil leaves for 10 seconds in hot boiling water and dip in ice-cold water for better rich green colour.

• After doing this dry blanched basil leaves by putting them into a strainer for few minutes.

• Remember to dry blanched basil leaves otherwise, pesto sauce can be spoiled within a day.

• Now chop the garlic cloves and pine nuts or you can use the food processer for fine crushed.

• Now take a grinder put all blanched basil leaves and make a fine smooth paste of it now add chop garlic & pine nuts into the grinder, grind for 2 or 3 seconds now remove.

• Now here you have to be careful with that pesto paste, remove that paste fast from the grinder & put into a ceramic or carbon fiber bowl and add salt & pepper, Extra virgin olive oil into the pesto, mix it well. (without olive oil that pesto can be discolored or oxidized very fast).

• Now freshly & finely grate the parmesan cheese and add into the pesto sauce. Mix the grated cheese very well and cover the top of the pesto with olive oil keep in a ceramic or carbon fiber container in the fridge for later use.

• Hope This pesto sauce recipe you like, You can use this pesto sauce in many dishes like pasta, chicken, eggs, or salad.  I will share one pasta recipe with pesto sauce which you may definitely love most.

Pesto pasta recipe

Pesto pasta is a delicious full of flavor dish which is best into a pasta recipe. I personally love this pasta with pesto sauce. It is very simple, easy, and tasty. very few ingredients need to make this pasta, pesto sauce, olive oil, parmesan cheese, cherry tomato, tagliatelle pasta. So I will share this recipe down below. This pasta once made does not reheat the pasta again for consumption, because basil doesn't like heat. Basil pesto turns black when you mix it on the flame. so Mix your pasta in a bowl, not in a pan I will tell in detail about the method.

Cooking time: 15minutes

Serving: 2 persons

Ingredients:

Basil pesto - 4tbsp

Parmesan cheese - 1tbsp

Cherry tomato - 5 to 6 piece

Tagliatelle pasta - 200gm

salt - to taste (for boiling pasta)

Fresh basil - 1 to 2 leaves for garnish

Pasta cooking water - as required

Butter - 1tbsp

Cooking method:

• First, boil the pasta with salt and oil for 7 to 8 minutes for perfectly cooked pasta.

• Now strain out the pasta into a bowl and keep pasta water too.

• Now set a pan over medium flame melt butter in a pan, now put cherry tomato sauté for 20 seconds, now add boiled pasta into melted butter & cherry tomato mix them well for few seconds.

• Now remove the pasta pan from over the flame and add pesto into the pasta, add hot pasta water and mix them well for 30 seconds, you will get smooth rich creamy pesto pasta.

• Serve hot with garlic bread on the side of pasta & garnish with grated parmesan cheese & basil leaves on top of pasta.

•  Do not reheat the pesto pasta otherwise taste & colour can be spoiled. 

So I shared the pesto sauce along with the pesto pasta recipes with you all. Please make it at home and tell me how it becomes after making it. Both recipes are very easy to make so try once. If you have any questions about these both recipes please let me know in the comment section below. And please share these recipes with your friends. And do try my classic Italian Carbonara pasta which you may like. Also, Try this crispy fried Calamari recipe too it is so delicious.