Easy Garden Basil Pesto

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Summer isn’t complete without one of my favorite kitchen staples: delicious pesto made fresh from the garden. It’s so easy to make, and you can get creative by adjusting the ingredients and proportions until you’ve mastered your craft.

Basil is plentiful and relatively easy to grow outside (I’m in Zone 5b/6a in West Denver). If you don’t grow your own, you’ll find plenty at your local farmers market or grocery store during summer. It can get expensive, though, especially when considering the amount needed to make a batch of pesto. If you love fresh pesto as much as I do, I recommend planting it in pots or your garden beds each spring. Give it plenty of light, even watering, and space to spread out! Learn more about caring for basil here.

Pesto combines essential ingredients in varying proportions and is blended or chopped in a food processor to the consistency you desire. Once you’ve made it a few times, you’ll know what style you and your family prefer. Trial and error is the best way to learn what you like best, and luckily, you almost always wind up with something delicious.

Go for the freshest ingredients you can find, including your nuts! If you don’t consume nuts often and store them for a long time, they can go rancid and ruin your pesto. I like the smaller bags from the grocery store baking aisle. They are usually just the amount I need for a single batch, so they don’t end up sitting in the pantry. You can also make it nut-free if required!

There’s no limit to what you can put the pesto on! Fish, crudité, grazing boards, pasta, chicken, even beef! Caprese salad, anyone?! It’s delicious.

Pro Tips: 

Washing Basil: If you’re using fresh basil from your garden, try soaking it for 10-15 minutes by filling a salad spinner with water and draining it off to remove dirt, insects, and debris. After submerging it once or twice, spin it in shallow water to clean it thoroughly, then lay it flat on a baking sheet lined with a clean towel to dry. Gently pat the top with another paper towel.

Storing Pesto: Pesto is most delicious when fresh but will remain good in your fridge for 4-5 days after making it. You can also freeze it! Try filling the sections of an ice cube tray with pesto and other sauces. You can pop out a small portion whenever you want to enhance a pasta dish, melt it over a filet of salmon, or liven up a roast chicken dish.

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Recommended Kitchen Tools

• Salad spinner

• Food processor or blender

• Microplane

• Citrus press

• Spatula

Easy Garden Basil Pesto

Yield: 4-6 Servings | Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Lemons, zested, then juiced

• 2-3 large garlic cloves, quartered

• Salt and pepper to taste — remember, there’s salt in the Parmesan cheese, so don’t over-salt!

• Crushed red pepper — optional

• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated

• 2-3 cups fresh basil, leaves removed from stalk, washed and dried 

• ½ cup walnuts or another nut of your choosing! Almonds and pistachios also work great!)

Preparation

• Pour your olive oil into the food processor, then use a microplane to zest the peels of each lemon into the container. The zest will make the flavors in your pesto so vibrant!

• Cut the lemons in half and juice them into the machine using a citrus press.

• Next, add your garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper if using.

• Sprinkle in your parmesan cheese, add the basil, and finally, top it off with the nuts.

• Pulse the machine manually a few times to get a coarse chop throughout the ingredients.

• Remove the lid and use a spatula to scrape the ingredients from the vessel's sides into the bottom.

• Repeat this step several times until the pesto reaches the desired consistency. If needed, slowly pour in some water, adding just a teaspoon at a time.

• Remember to taste it periodically and adjust the proportions if needed. 

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Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Cheers! - Montana Rae, Founder & Sommelier

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Explore my favorite wines to pair with this dish

Reach for something bright, crisp, and refreshing. This pesto is delicious with Portuguese and Spanish whites, lovely high-acid rosés, and even the occasional rich, fuller-bodied Chardonnay.