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For years Grandma’s Basil Pesto Recipe has been a family favorite. It’s so beloved that we’ve hardly had a family meal I can remember without it.
Every fall after Grandma had harvested her basil, we receive a generous gift of her famous basil pesto sauce lovingly preserved in small single-serve freezer containers for us to enjoy all winter long.
Unfortunately, it would rarely last us past the fall season. The truth is, no other pasta sauce could compare, and it was hard to resist.
As Roan started his culinary interest, recreating grandma’s basil pesto recipe was one of his first endeavors.
The recipe is simple and practically foolproof. This encouraged Roan exceedingly, especially in his early days as a cook.
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Fresh Basil is Key to Basil Pesto Recipe
Of course, this recipe is always improved with fresh basil grown in your own garden.
Basil was the very first plant Roan wanted to grow.
The desire to recreate Grandma’s Basil Pesto Recipe is what originally inspired Roan’s passion for not only cooking, but also for gardening. I guess you could say we owe it all to Grandma’s Basil Pesto!
Grandma’s Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce
6 Simple Ingredients to the Perfect Secret Basil Pesto Sauce
- 6 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 10 cup tightly packed fresh basil
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Method with Food Processor
- Use food processor to chop and combine cheese and garlic.
- Then add nuts.
- Next, add basil leaves.
- Finally, with machine running, add olive oil.
Method without Food Processor
- Finely chop garlic, pine nuts & basil.
- Use a fine grater to grate the cheese.
- Add olive oil and combine all ingredients until smooth.
How to Toast the Pine Nuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Watch carefully. Pine nuts can burn easily.
How to Keep Basil Pesto Sauce
Pesto sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week. But if you want to make a big batch and store it so it’s ready when you want it.
Store in single serve containers in the freezer so you can have fresh basil pesto pasta or fresh basil pesto sauce for any of your favorite Italian dishes when you want it.
How to Store Basil Pesto Sauce
- Use mini food storage containers to fill with fresh basil pesto recipe.
- We use reusable 4 0z. containers with lids and fill them about 3/4 of the way full.
- Leave enough room so you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top to create a thin layer over the basil pesto sauce. This helps seal in the freshness.
- Seal the lid tightly and use a sharpie to write the date on a piece of masking tape.
- Then when you want to reuse the container, you can change the tape and write the new date.
Grandma's Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano aged
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup pine nuts toasted
- 10 cups basil leaves fresh, tightly packed
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
Method with Food Processor
- Use food processor to chop and combine cheese and garlic.
- Next add nuts.
- Lastly add basil leaves.
- With machine running add olive oil
Method without Food Processor
- Finely chop garlic, toasted pine nuts and basil.
- Use a fine grater to grate the cheese.
- Add olive oil and combine all ingredients until smooth.
How to Toast the Pine Nuts
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Spread pine nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Be watchful. Pine nuts can burn easily!
Notes
- Fill mini food storage containers with fresh basil pesto sauce.
- We use reusable 4 0z. containers with lids and fill them about 3/4 of the way full.
- Leave enough room so you can drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top to create a thin layer over the pesto sauce. This helps seal in the freshness.
- Seal the lid tightly and use a sharpie to write the date on a piece of masking tape.
- Then when you want to reuse the container you can change the tape and write the new date.
Nutrition
How to Use Basil Pesto Sauce in Other Recipes
Once you have made this basil pesto sauce there are so many recipes you can use it in.
Here are some of our favorites:
- As a sauce on our homemade pizza dough.
- As a layer on your lasagna instead of using tomato sauce.
- In pasta dishes you can use this basil pesto recipe in almost any dish where you might use a tomato sauce, try out a pesto sauce substitute instead.
- We use this basil pesto recipe and substitute pesto for mayonnaise. We use it on sandwiches.
- Basil pesto sauce is great mixed in with hummus.
- Basil pesto is a great sauce on hamburgers instead of ketchup.
The list is virtually endless. Have fun using this basil pesto recipe in many different dishes.
Side Note: “Why Chopsticks?” Julie asked, “Why are you showing pasta bowls with chopsticks?”
I hadn’t even realized it might seem strange.
My boys started the tradition of eating pasta with chopsticks years ago. Now at our house, it’s the norm.
Do you have any unique traditions at your house? We’d love to hear.
Let us know how you enjoy adding this special basil pesto recipe to your dishes. Bon Appetit!
