Basil Pesto Sauce
By Jennifer Schefke
Growing up in an Italian home, we had pasta once a week. It was fast, easy, and fed a lot of hungry kids for little money. It was always “spaghetti” in tomato sauce, nothing fancy, but always loved topped with parmesan cheese from that widely recognizable green container. It was not until I was an adult when pesto entered the scene. Wow, it was a big step up from that basic tomato sauce and I fell in love. I grow my own basil every summer and prepare big batches of pesto to freeze and enjoy over pasta, vegetables, on sandwiches, or mixed with ricotta cheese and spread onto fresh Italian crostini. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves
4 garlic cloves peeled
3 tablespoons pine nuts
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and olive oil into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the parmesan cheese and mix to combine.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil for a thinner consistency.
For using over pasta: Boil and drain 1 pound (16 oz) pasta, stir pesto into the warm pasta. Serve with additional fresh grated parmesan cheese.
