Pesto

Pesto is incredibly delicious, versatile, and easy to make! At its core, pesto is simply a sauce that is made by pulverizing (usually with a mortar and pestle). The most common pesto type is a Genovese pesto: basil that has been pureed with a variety of fatty and flavorful ingredients, combined with olive oil as an emulsifier.  This classic pesto contains basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pine nuts, and usually a sharp cheese. You can use pesto in a variety of dishes such as: pizza, sandwiches, pasta, flatbread, and more!

A note on nuts and cheese: The recipe we have created here does not use pine nuts, as our children’s school is a nut free facility. Instead, we doubled the cheese. To adapt for a vegan diet, simply replace the cheese with pine nuts. To create a classic pesto, use a heaping 6 tablespoons each of pine nuts and cheese.

A note on freezing: I’ve found that all of these varieties freeze very well, but it is important to freeze pesto in reasonable portion sizes as it shouldn’t be defrosted and refrozen again. The best method for freezing something like pesto is to measure it out into 1oz portions (think, ice cube tray) and top with a bit of extra olive oil. Freeze them in cubes and then remove them from the tray and store in a freezer bag until they are needed. A single 1oz cube is perfect to be spread on one or two sandwiches. For pasta, you will need 1 cube for every few ounces of dry noodles.