It’s August, and our garden has produced enough basil to exceed our (high!) expectations. I only had 32 square feet of garden room, and I tried to maximize it with food that either tastes better or is cheaper than what you can find at the store. Basil falls into both of these categories, so I was eager to plant it. But while having so much basil is exciting, it’s been a little overwhelming trying to use it all up. Enter: this simple walnut pesto. Not only does pesto require a generous amount of basil, but it’s also easy to freeze for later use (more on how to do that in a bit). When making this pesto, I highly recommend grating your own Parmesan cheese at home. The fresh blocks of cheese from the cheese counter are much higher quality than the pre-packaged stuff on the shelves. However, it’s also more expensive, so I understand if you’d prefer something a little more budget-friendly. If the cheese counter isn’t for you, go for the pre-shredded Parmesan rather than the powdered stuff in a shaker (the powdered stuff doesn’t remotely compare to freshly grated Parm). And if you want to do away with cheese altogether, go right over to our Vegan Cashew Pesto recipe! In the spirit of staying on a budget, we’ve replaced the traditional pine nuts in homemade pesto sauce with walnuts. Walnuts aren’t quite as flavorful as pine nuts, but they’re a fraction of the price and give pesto a fantastic texture. Make sure to buy raw, unsalted walnuts for this recipe since Parmesan cheese tastes quite salty on its own. For extra flavor, you can toast the walnuts in a frying pan (without oil, just use heat!) or in the oven. However, I think raw walnuts work perfectly well here. Technically, you can use any nut you’d like in this homemade pesto recipe (pecans, macadamia nuts, almonds, etc), but we like walnuts for their neutral flavor and good price.
How to freeze pesto
Pesto freezes beautifully. I recommended freezing this walnut pesto in an ice cube tray, and then transferring the cubes to a sealed baggie once completely frozen. Pesto stays fresh for about six months this way, and it lets you thaw exactly how much you need for a recipe (1 frozen pesto cube is perfect for 1 serving of pasta, for example). You can also freeze pesto in small jars or any other containers you have on hand, but it’ll be trickier to thaw out the exact amount you need for a future recipe. When you’re ready to use the pesto cubes, simply take a few out of the bag and pop them into whatever dish you’re making. Because pesto is oil-based, it thaws quickly, meaning you don’t need to take it out of the freezer ahead of time!
Looking for more easy pesto recipes?
5-Minute Pesto Arugula Breakfast SandwichGreek Grilled Veggie Skewers with Pesto QuinoaPesto Grilled Cheese Dippers with MarinaraVegan Basil PestoRicotta Dumplings with Kale PestoGarlic Scape PestoItalian Pizza with Pesto
This recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. 5 from 2 reviews In food processor, combine walnuts, cheese, and garlic. Process until finely ground, 20 to 30 seconds. Add the basil, lemon juice and kosher salt. Turn on the food processor and gradually pour in the olive oil. Once combined, turn off the food processor. Add a bit more olive oil if desired.
