Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and Summer is no different. The question is “What are you going to do with all that fresh basil from your garden?” OK, maybe you don’t have a garden, maybe you went to the local Farmer’s Market and got a great deal on a huge bunch of fresh Basil. Well, I’ll tell you what you’re doing with that aromatic, delightfully tasty green herb…you’re going to make fresh Pesto!

Fresh Pesto is one of life’s greatest joys. You can use Spinach or Basil, Pine Nuts or Sunflower seeds. It’s also very versatile. You can top chicken with a nice, big spoonful of Pesto or you can mix it into your favorite pasta and protein. Personally, one of my favorite Pesto dishes involves grilled chicken, roasted potatoes (or parsnips), zucchini, peppers and onions. Man! My stomach is growling already!

I have a small summer garden and plant quite a bit of Basil in my beds (supposed to keep the bugs and critters away). By the end of the year I’m begging my friends and family to take some home with them! The first couple years I had SO much leftover (there’s only so much Caprese salad and Bruschetta one can eat hehe) I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I hate throwing away perfectly good food and herbs so I made a GIGANTIC batch of Pesto, put it in ice cube trays and froze it. Once it was completely frozen, I popped those wonderful, ice cube Pesto pops out and placed them in a storage bag. Voila! Pesto for the rest of the winter! Best idea ever! Those little Pesto ice cubes lasted almost the entire winter and were such a great idea, now I do it every year.

Ingredient List

• 2 cups fresh, packed rinsed Basil (pick the leaves off, no stems)
• 2 tablespoons toasted, unsalted Sunflower Seeds
• 2 cloves of Garlic (or more if you like Garlic, measure this one with your heart)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the shaky cheese in the jar)
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Recipe

• Add all the fresh Basil to a food processor (you can use a blender but a food processor is preferred).
• Next, add the toasted Sunflower Seeds. To toast the seeds, simply heat up a non-stick pan and place the seeds in the pan for a few minutes until they become fragrant. Shake often to avoid the seeds getting burnt.
• Next, add in the Garlic. Use as much or as little as you would like.
• The Parmesan cheese comes next. Start with a half cup and once everything is mixed together do a taste test. You may want to add more.
• Add in the salt and a squeeze of the lemon juice.
• The final addition is the Olive Oil. Add in a half tablespoon at a time. You’ll want to turn the food processor on and add the oil in as it’s mixing to get to the desired consistency. When freezing, I like it to be a bit thicker so I won’t add as much oil.

To keep your fat content a bit lower, you could opt to put less Parmesan cheese and/or Olive Oil in the recipe. This will keep the Pesto a bit on the thicker side. When you cook with it or make into a sauce, use some Chicken Stock or Broth to thin it out. Keeps the fat calories down but the flavor up!

When storing your fresh made Pesto, place in an airtight jar/container in the refrigerator for 7 – 10 days. If you’re freezing, place in ice cube trays and let freeze for a few hours or overnight. Pop the cubes out of the trays and store in a freezer bag or container for up to 6 months.

I hope you like this Fresh Basil Pesto recipe! I would love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to comment below.