My Pesto Recipe

My favorite food in the world is absolutely pasta, without a doubt (I'm half Italian, I can't help it). And one of my favorite sauces is pesto.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🥣 How to make pesto
• 📝 Recipe

Throughout the first summer months, I love walking out to our herb garden and waiting and willing the basil to grow faster and bigger. I simply can’t wait to pluck it’s beautiful leaves and take them into the kitchen, blending them with just a few other fresh ingredients to make the most delicious sauce. It's light, it's delicious, it's fresh...what more could you want?!

My twist on a classic pesto recipe will be your new favorite! That’s because I’ve changed just a couple ingredients to create a scrumptious sauce you’ll want to eat warm or cold any day of the week.

The first ingredient I’ve changed is pine nuts. I just cannot believe the exorbitantly high price of pine nuts at the supermarket.  So, I usually don’t have them at home. I do have a baking pantry, though, which almost always includes walnuts. I tried using walnuts instead a few years ago and have never looked back. They taste just as delicious, for a fraction of the price!

The other thing I’ve replaced is Parmesan cheese. What in the world are you thinking woman?! I know, I know. I love Parmesan cheese, I really do. But I have another cheese that’s an even bigger favorite of mine...Locatelli.

When I was a kid, Locatelli cheese was also my mother’s favorite, so a large wedge of it was in the fridge at all times. It’s an aged Pecorino-Romano from central Italy and has an amazing smell and flavor like no other. Have you tried it yet? It’s now become a regular in my fridge and I’ll often cut off a hunk of this delectable cheese for a snack.

In addition to all that deliciousness, this pesto recipe can be made in 2 minutes flat! Fresh ingredients made into an amazing sauce in less time than it takes to say “Questo cibo è delizioso!”

🧾 Ingredients

• Basil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic
• Locatelli (or Parmesan)
• Walnuts (or pine nuts)
• Salt & pepper

See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.

🥣 How to make pesto

Place all ingredients in a food processor & mix for 30 seconds. That’s it! Spoon over pasta & enjoy!  

And try this pesto over chicken, caprese salad, bruschetta, homemade bread, fish, pizza, eggs, or anything else! Be creative!

Love pasta? Check out more of our pasta recipes now:

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• Snappy Shrimp, Hot Pepper Flakes, and Garlic Breath
• Butternut Squash Pasta
• Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo
• Homemade Black Squid Ink Pasta
• Super Easy Oven Baked Cod

How are you going to use your pesto?

Did you make this Pesto recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

📝 Recipe