Recipe

Naptime’s Go-to Perfect Pesto – adapted from an old recipe from Mom

Ingredients

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (pack them in tightly!)
2 large garlic cloves
½ c. pine nuts
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. freshly grated Romano cheese
2/3 c. good olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine basil and garlic in a food processor and blend to a fine paste.
2. Add pine nuts, process until smooth.
3. Add cheeses and process again, until smooth.
4. With the machine running, pour the olive oil in the food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. If pesto seems too thick pour in ¼ c. warm water.
5. Pesto will stay in the refrigerator for up to 10 days in a sealed container. Or, if you want to save it for later, freeze it using the instructions below.

Freezing Pesto: To freeze pesto put it in a sealed air-tight container like a small ziploc bag or tupperware. Some people like to freeze it in ice-cube trays, I did it once and it didn’t work well, but feel free to try it. Once it is thawed it should not be re-frozen.

Naptime Notes

Naptime Recipe Serving ideas

This is a basic pesto recipe that never fails and is extremely versatile. Sometimes I stir it into pasta salads or make a light pesto salad dressing, other times I like to use it as a sandwich spread or a dip with veggies.

Naptime Stopwatch

I am able to make a large batch of this pesto in less than 10 minutes. Take your time to make sure everything is combined well, this will make it most flavorful.

Naptime Reviews

Everyone loves a good pesto recipe and this one never disappoints. Once I added a little jalapeno for spice and everyone liked that, too!

More Naptime Recipes

Printed from: https://thenaptimechef.com/2009/06/napping-with-perfect-pesto/