Pesto: How to Make, Store, and Eat

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Last week we posted about various ways to use up all of the herbs that you’ve grown in your garden throughout the season, whether that be eating them fresh, or storing them by drying or freezing. One of our family’s favorite herbs to grow is basil, and one of our favorite ways to use basil is by making pesto.

Every year I somehow manage to grow enough basil to feed a small army. I don’t start off intending to grow that much…I just have a hard time not planting all my seedlings. Of course this means that I need to find ways to use all of the bounty each year. 

We harvest and eat the basil fresh in our homemade pizza sauce every Friday, as well as layered between slices of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes when we make a caprese salad. Even with all that, I find myself faced with a significant amount of basil at the end of the growing season. Come the end of September I’m usually harvesting close to two five-gallon buckets full of basil. 

I say usually, because for some reason this year is different. This year, the basil was growing like crazy, then suddenly, all the plants started to drop their leaves. I have no idea why, but you can rest assured that I am researching it. The most likely culprit is soggy feet from all the rain this year. Next year I will definitely be relocating them to higher ground to ensure better drainage in case we get another summer of monsoons.

When I’m done harvesting my (literally) bucket loads of basil in a typical year, I sit down to an evening of pesto making. Simply because of the quantity of basil I need to clean, it frequently takes a couple of hours to get through it all, with cleaning and stripping the leaves from the stems being the step that takes the longest. 

Once all of the leaves are cleaned and stripped, I prep the other ingredients…toasting the nuts that I’m using, shredding the parmesan cheese, and peeling the garlic. Each ingredient is placed in a bowl ready to measure out as I need it, following the mise en place (or everything in its place) principle.

Occasionally I cheat and buy the pre-grated parmesan. This saves me a bit of time, and when I can get it on sale, also money. One thing I DON’T buy is the Kraft parmesan cheese in a can. First, my family doesn’t like it. Second, it’s full of fillers and has an off taste that we don’t enjoy. If you and your family prefer, go ahead and try using in your pesto making, but you’ll get a much more flavorful and enjoyable product using freshly grated parmesan.

Another thing I get ready is the small half-cup containers that I freeze the pesto in. As soon as I blend up a batch it goes straight into the containers and into the freezer. Then blend the next batch, rinse and repeat until all the basil has been transformed into pesto and frozen. By the time I’m done the kitchen smells amazing and I have about 8 cups of basil pesto in the freezer.

And then there is this year…As you can tell from the photos, the likelihood of getting 8 cups of pesto is not great this year. Because of this, and because it’s mainly just my husband and myself at home anymore, I decided to try freezing the pesto in an ice cube tray. Without the girls living at home and helping us consume it, we end up finding half used containers of pesto in the back of the fridge. Hopefully by freezing the pesto in smaller quantities we can reduce the amount of pesto we waste. That said, I do think the ice cube trays that I have are a bit on the small side. Each well can only contain 1 tablespoon of whatever. I’ve been eyeballing the Souper Cubes gift set which has a 2 tablespoon tray, as well as a 1 cup, 2 cup, and half cup tray. All with lids.

Traditional pesto recipe

This is the recipe most people think of when they hear the word “pesto”. Keep reading to learn about other variations that can excite your taste buds.

Note: All pesto recipes shared are from Eating Well, which is linked in the resources at the bottom of this post.

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (2-3 bundles)

¼ c pine nuts, toasted

¼ c grated parmesan cheese

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs water

1 large clove garlic, quartered

½ tsp salt

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 Tbs

Nut alternatives

Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts. And this is likely the nut used in the jar of pesto you buy at the grocery store. When I first started making pesto I used pine nuts exclusively. Then one year I learned that I am allergic to pine. I know that the allergy is truly only to the pine pollen, but that same year the price of pine nuts jumped considerably. I also came across a pesto recipe article in Eating Well magazine that used other nuts in place of the pine nuts. I figured the universe was trying to tell me something so I started exploring alternative nut varieties in my pesto, and have never looked back.

Today I pretty well use anything I have in the pantry, except peanuts. I’ve even mixed different types of nuts just to use up odds and ends that would otherwise go to waste. No matter what nuts I’m using, I always toast them in the oven first. This adds an extra hint of yumminess to the pesto.

Nuts to Try (preferably unsalted)

• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Macadamia 
• Nut mix

Cheese alternatives

As with the nuts, I’ve also used different cheeses in my pesto. Parmesan is the most traditional cheese to use. But as we tend to prefer asiago, that has become our cheese of choice for pesto making.

I would encourage you to try different hard cheeses to see what you and your family prefer. I’ve listed several alternative cheeses to consider below. In the years I’ve been making pesto, I’ve only tried the parmesan and asiago. That said, having come across this article by Bon Appetit I’m curious to branch out even more. 

Cheeses to Try

• Parmesan
• Asiago
• Feta
• Manchego
• Gouda
• Cotija
• Goat cheese
• Aged cheddar 

Alternative Pestos 

Speaking of alternative ingredients, why not completely mix things up and try some totally alternative pestos? Last winter I found a bundle of parsley that was in dire need of being eaten, and decided to try the parsley pesto. It was a huge hit! Now I’m freezing parsley so we can have parsley pesto this winter too. These are all from Eating Well.

Chile Pesto

¼ cup red onion

1 large clove garlic

4 dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed, seeded and broken into 2-inch pieces

¾ cup water

¼ cup pepitas

1 tsp fresh thyme

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking oil and place over medium high heat. Add  garlic; cook, stirring often until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly for 20 seconds more. Add chiles; cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add water and immediately turn off the heat. When the water stops boiling, pour the chile mixture into a small bowl. Make sure the pieces are submerged; cover and set aside to soften, 20 minutes.

Pour the chile mixture into a food processor or large blender. Add pepitas, thyme, cumin and salt. Pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 TBS

Uses: pair with grilled meats and veggies

Tarragon Pesto

1 cup packed fresh tarragon leaves (2 bunches)

1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (2-3 bunches)

⅓ cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

2 TBS water

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS butter

1 TBS lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, quartered

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 TBS

Uses: stir into fish or chicken soup

Goat Cheese Pesto

4 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup packed flat leaf parsley leaves (1-2 bunches)

½ cup packed fresh oregano leaves (1 bunch)

2 TBS water

1tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 TBS

Uses: dip, sauce, or spread

Mint Pesto

1 ½ cups packed fresh basil leaves (1-2 bunches)

¾ cup fresh packed mint leaves (1-2 bunches)

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

3 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS lemon zest

2 TBS lemon juice

1 large garlic clove, quartered

¼ tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 TBS

Uses: sandwich spread, veggie dip, with roast chicken, or on fresh tomato slices

Parsley Pesto

1 large garlic clove, quartered

1 cup packed, stemmed Italian parsley (1-2 bunches)

Course salt

⅛ cup walnuts

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

⅓ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup

Serving size: 2 TBS

Uses: sandwich spread, veggie dip, with roast chicken, on pasta or rice

Storing pesto

If you have the space, storing pesto is as simple as scooping it into a freezer safe container and popping into the freezer. This is the method I’ve used for years, and it works quite well. The biggest challenge I face is finding containers small enough for the portions my husband and I use in one evening. So now I find myself turning to my ice cube trays. My hope is that the smaller ice cube size will mean less wasted pesto. 

I follow a group of rebel canners and have seen some posts looking for a canning recipe for pesto. Despite the group’s willingness to try some alternative canning practices (typically ones not approved by the USDA, but commonly used in our sister countries) nobody has mentioned a reliable canning recipe for pesto. As a result, I won’t be canning pesto anytime soon even though it must be possible since you can buy shelf stable pesto at the grocery store.

Of course, the best way to store freshly made pesto is in your stomach as part of a big plate of pasta. 

If you find that container of forgotten pesto in the back of the fridge and it’s turned a bit brown, don’t worry. It’s still good as long as it’s not sporting a fuzzy beard as well. The brown is simply due to the cut basil leaves being exposed to air and oxidizing. To prevent this from happening in the future, pour a thin layer of oil over the top to exclude air before putting the container back in the fridge. This works with guacamole as well. Simply pour off the oil before using.

Using pesto

The uses for pesto are as limitless as your imagination. Here are a few of our favorites:

• On pasta
• As a sandwich spread
• As a dip
• Rubbed on meat, particularly chicken, prior to cooking
• Mixed in salad dressing
• Added to tomato sauce
• As a pizza sauce

Resources

Eating Well – recipes https://www.eatingwell.com

Souper cubes: https://amzn.to/3B7VKEP

Ice cube tray with lid: https://amzn.to/3mg6lt8