Basil is an easy herb to grow year-round indoors using a hydroponic system. Fresh basil grows quickly, elevates any dish, and has a robust peppery flavor. Parsley is a prolific grower and although the flavor is not super string, it has great health benefits. Combining these two herbs to make a basil parsley pesto into a quick easy sauce or dip to be used in a variety of ways.
Ways to use Basil Parsley Pesto:
Pasta Sauce: Toss with cooked pasta for a quick and flavorful dish.
Sandwich Spread: Use it as a spread on sandwiches, wraps, or paninis.
Pizza Topping: Replace traditional tomato sauce with pesto for a unique pizza flavor.
Salad Dressing: Thin it out with a bit of extra olive oil or lemon juice and drizzle over salads.
Dip: Serve as a dip for bread, vegetables, or crackers.
Marinade: Use as a marinade or topping for grilled chicken, fish, or vegetables.
Eggs: Add a spoonful to scrambled eggs or omelets with tomatoes and mozzarella for a tasty meal.
Soup Garnish: Stir into soups like minestrone or tomato for a fresh twist.
Aioli: Mix with mayo as a dip in French fries or as a sauce on sandwiches.
Modification Tips:
- Pesto is typically made with pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. I normally use walnuts instead of pine nuts as I typically have them on hand but you can use almonds or pecans too.
- You can also omit the parmesan cheese or swap it with nutritional yeast.
- Feel free to experiment with other herbs as well, get creative!
- If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender or even a mortar and pestle.
Easy Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil
- 1/2 cup parsley (adds little flavor but extra vitamins. Can omit just increase the basil to 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a food processor.
- Pulse ingredients until slightly combined. Then scrape down bits stuck to the sides of the bowl.
- Blend for 30ish seconds while drizzling olive oil through the chute. The longer you blend the smoother the pesto will be.
- Taste and adjust salt. Pulse more until desired texture is achieved.