The combination of garlic & parsley in this pesto brings to mind French cooking and delicious dishes like beurre à la Bourguignonne. Ooh la la.
However unlike parsley butter or beurre à la Bourguignonne, this sauce is based on a traditional Genoa pesto, and the richness in the dish comes from pine nuts, olive oil and a shaving of parmesan (optional). A handful of basil balances the flavors nicely.
Traditionally pesto is made with a mortar and pestle, and while undoubtedly this is the best option for flavor, we see no harm in cheating and using the food processor or hand blender for this one. You’re still making your own homemade pesto after all!
Parsley give the pesto a bright fresh taste, and it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. Filled with vitamin K and vitamin C, parsley is good for digestion, detoxifying, reducing inflammation, and so much more.
Cooking Tip: did you know you can use chopped parsley as a garnish instead of lemon juice to balance out a dish?
This pesto is easy to whip up and it goes with just about everything. Try it with: garlic bread, sandwiches, grilled cheese, burgers, pizzas, pastas, roast veggies, in soup, and stirred through mashed potatoes.
Next time you see a big batch of basil and parsley at the store, farmers market, or growing in your garden, don’t think twice about making this easy parsley and basil pesto!
Parsley & Basil Pesto Sauce
Fresh parsley & garlic pair together perfectly in this pesto, alongside traditional pine nuts, basil and olive oil. A quick and easy pesto that adds a delicious flavor to many savory dishes.
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp rock salt or sea salt
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley with stems
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp or more grated parmesan cheese*
- In a food processor or using a hand mixer, blend pine nuts and garlic together until they are the consistency of course sand.
- Wash, dry, and roughly chop the basil and parsley, and add to the food processor.
- Blend until you have a coarse paste with some texture.
- Stir through the olive oil into the sauce.
- Add the grated parmesan and combine.
- Serve with garlic bread, sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, pastas, roast veggies, in soup, or stirred through mashed potatoes.
- Keeps 5 days in the fridge, sealed or covered with a light layer of olive oil, and freezes well in an ice cube tray.
*Leave out the parmesan to make this vegan, be sure to check if it is gluten free if necessary, or that it does not have rennet to make it vegetarian.
Have fun in the kitchen! You can try different combinations like mint, arugula, pistachios, walnuts or sunflower seeds. Or add some lemon juice to taste. Some pestos even incorporate vegetables like avocado, peas, or broccoli. Do you have any favorite pesto combinations to share with us? We’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments.
jenny gohl says
At the moment my garden is full of kale and sorrel, so my favourite pesto this week is kale because its a superfood and sorrel because of its lemony flavour. Walnuts instead of pine nuts and more garlic because its beginning to sprout. The rest is just like yours.
Sylvie says
So fun! We would just dream of having a garden like yours. Great idea to get the lemon flavor from the sorrel. Can think of lots of dishes that would be yummy in. Thanks for sharing!