The Best Pesto Recipe with Pine Nuts

4.82 from 11 votes

The Best Pesto Recipe with Pine Nuts

Mom's pesto is legendary! You'll love this fragrant, delicious sauce featuring fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheeses.

Prep Time25

Total Time25

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: -- Makes 11 ounces

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

5 ounces fresh Genovese basil leaves (stems removed; see notes)
one large garlic clove (or two small)
2 Tablespoons pine nuts (can omit if needed)
½ cup olive oil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup freshly grated imported Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

Rinse the basil and pluck off the stems. Pat the basil leaves with a paper towel to absorb excess water and place the leaves on paper towels to air-dry. (See notes.)
Grate the cheeses, if needed (I use my blender.) Combine the Parmesan and Romano in a small bowl.
Peel the garlic and place it in a food processor. Add the pine nuts. Pulse until the garlic is cut into small pieces.
Add the basil leaves to the food processor and pulse until they're broken up, while drizzling in the olive oil.
Add the combined cheeses to the food processor and process until a creamy paste is formed. There is no need for salt, since the cheese is salty enough.
Use the pesto as a sauce stirred into pasta or on pizza, chicken or fish. Store the pesto in a sealed container in the refrigerator, with a thin layer of olive oil on top, for up to two weeks. You also can freeze it for up to six months.

Video

Notes

Genovese basil with corrugated leaves provides the best flavor, but you can use regular sweet basil instead.
The basil must be air-dried to ensure the leaves have no moisture, in order to achieve the right pesto texture.
If you don't have a scale to weigh the basil, you can fill up a 2-cup liquid measuring cup twice with packed basil until it's heaping.
Imported Pecorino Romano (made from sheep's milk) is key for flavor.

Nutrition