Pesto is an Italian sauce traditionally made in a mortar, pounded with a pestle, that gave it its name. The pesto that most of us think of is made from fresh basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, blended with olive oil and lemon juice. Fortunately for us, a blender or food processor will do the work in a fraction of the time.
When people think of pesto, they often think of it as a pasta sauce, but pesto is a strongly flavored mixture that can be used as dressing or salsa, then coating for pasta. It’s a combination of sour lemon juice and “fatty” olive oil and salty Parmesan cheese let it reach all of the taste buds on your tongue, with the fragrant aroma of basil alluring your nose.
Don’t let pasta get all of the attention when it comes to pesto.
Here are six ways to use pesto that don’t involve pasta:
1. As a spread on toast. If you are eating less sugar, try a savory spread instead of jam. Pesto on toast is basically like souped-up garlic bread, and way better. Use a hearty French or sourdough bread if you have it, but it will make any bread better.
2. If you are making appetizers, toast slices of baguette for crostini, then spread on a thin layer of pesto and garnish with a half cherry tomato and shaved Parmesan.
3. As a sauce on grilled chicken or fish. Pesto is a sauce that you can make in big batches. Scoop out some from the fridge, warm it up to melt the olive oil, and add a teaspoon or two on top of your cooked meat. It will dress up the plate and add a burst of flavor.
4. Add it to cooked beans and rice. Pesto and starchy food follow the pasta method, but beans or rice are a great substitute to pasta if you limit gluten or want to jazz up white rice. White beans are an excellent bean to highlight basil’s green color, but any bean works. Add flavor to plain steamed rice with a scoop of pesto right before serving.
5. Use pesto as a base for salad dressing. Scoop a tablespoon or two of pesto into a large mixing bowl, then add lemon juice or white wine vinegar and olive oil to loosen the pesto’s consistency to a salad dressing. Add your salad greens and veggies to the bowl and mix well. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese.
6. Mix pesto with sour cream and mayonnaise to make a basil ranch dip for vegetables, ½ cup mayo plus ½ cup sour cream plus ¼ cup basil pesto.
Not just for basil, pesto can be made with any fresh herb.
Making pesto is an easy way to use up basil or any fresh herb, like parsley, cilantro, marjoram, or oregano. You can also switch up the nuts with walnuts, almonds, or cashews. And seeds instead of nuts, like sunflower or pepitas. The Parmesan can be substituted as well with any dry-aged cheese.
Two of my favorite alternative combinations are parsley and walnuts or cilantro and pepitas.
To make pesto vegan, you can omit the cheese, and if you have it, add nutritional yeast or white miso paste for the umami flavor boost that the cheese brings.
To save money and because I live in the land of fruits and nuts, I often use walnuts as a sub for pine nuts.
Here is my basic recipe.
Basil Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
1–2 cloves garlic
1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
Blend all together in a blender. Store in the fridge for up to one week or freeze.