I made homemade pesto for the first time and it was so easy!!!
My basil plants got HUGE this summer and I needed to harvest it before we get frost.
This is just a small quantity rinsed and drying.
I’ve never had basil with leaves this big!
Caprese salad is one of our favorites so I had to make some in the process.
Ah but back to the recipe at hand…
Mixed it all up in my Kitchen Aid food processor.
I absolutely love mine! If you don’t have one here’s a link for mine https://amzn.to/3RvCOep
I used a wide funnel to pour pesto into half pint jars. If you don’t have a funnel they are so useful to keep jars clean.
Here’s my link for a canning jar funnel https://amzn.to/3PvmjfR. Half pint jars are the perfect size for pesto. This is a link for jars https://amzn.to/460vBHI. { I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission per sales thru my links }
Interested in the recipe? Here’s what I used
Pesto Recipe
Makes 4 half pint jars depending upon how much oil you add in.
Ingredients
- 6 cups basil leaves
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 3/4 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 5.3 oz parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mixed nuts walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and/or pine nuts
- salt to taste
- Lemon juice – just a splash
Instructions
- Peel and cut the garlic into pieces. (This is just to help the process. It will be fully minced in the food processor.)
- Add the cheese, cut into chunks, to the food processor, and process it until it becomes a coarse powder.
- Add the garlic, nuts, basil, and some olive oil (in that order), and begin to process the ingredients. *Pulse slowly gradually adding olive oil.
- Taste the pesto for salt. Add salt to taste, and process the sauce until it reaches the desired texture.
- Serve immediately, or freeze.
Fresh pesto lasts 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in freezer.
Whip some up and enjoy- Kristen