Pesto Sauce with Walnuts
Pesto Sauce with Walnuts is made without pine nuts, so, it's easy and more affordable! This basil walnut pesto gets its vibrant green color that lasts and lasts from one simple trick and I'm sharing it with you!
Servings: 12 tablespoons
Calories: 1tablespoon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts (lightly toasted)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste or 1 large clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
- ⅓ to ½ cup olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare a small bowl of ice water. Bring a saucepan of water to boil.
- Add the basil leaves to the boiling water. Quickly remove the basil after 4 seconds with tongs or slotted spoon and plunge them into the bowl of ice water.
- This step is called blanching. Do not skip it! It’s a game changer for keeping the pesto green and not turning brown!
- Drain the blanched basil and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a food processor or blender, process the walnuts and cheese until ground. Add the blanched basil, salt and (if using) black pepper. Process until all the ingredients are blended.
- You can add the oil all at once and process until blended, scraping down sides, but I like to add it through the food chute so it doesn’t slosh the oil around. It creates a smoother mixture this way. (Start with ⅓ cup oil and add more if you want it thinner.)
- I think it also incorporates the oil better this way and I can decide if I want to add more oil if it isn’t creamy enough for me since packed basil leaves may vary. You still have to scrape down the sides about halfway into pouring the oil.
- Store the pesto in the refrigerator in a container with a tight lid.
Notes
- You can use 1 large clove of garlic instead of the ½ teaspoon of garlic paste.
- Pine nuts can be substituted for walnuts. As a Southerner, I always have pecans on hand and often substitute them in this recipe.
- Basil itself has many different varieties such as chocolate basil, cinnamon basil, Thai basil, and more! Experiment with varieties you may grow or find at your local nursery or farmers market.
- Parsley and spinach can be added or even substituted for basil for a flavor variation.
- Blanching basil only takes a few seconds and is a game changer. You'll thank me when your pesto is still bright green when you use it again and again.
