When life gives you basil, make pesto. And make more. That’s because pesto stashed in the freezer will brighten any winter day. Bring back the essence of summer next winter. And if you happen to have arugula, be sure to make basil and arugula pesto.
This is my basic pesto recipe. Traditionally pesto is made with basil, but I love to experiment with other leafy greens for pesto, like in this recipe, with both basil and arugula.
You don’t have to use walnuts for the nuts. If you’re feeling luxurious, use pine nuts.
When the only nuts in our pantry are sunflower seeds, I toast them first and use them in my emerald green sauce. Pesto is also delicious made with pecans or pumpkin seeds. Some chefs even use sliced almonds.
Of course you want to use a at least some of your fresh basil and arugula pesto the moment you make it. There is no comparison to the flavor hit to your tongue from brilliant basil and garlic sauce right from the Cuisinart–omg. Don’t put it all away for winter. Boil up some pasta and stir in pesto. Lick it off a spoon if you don’t do anything else.
What do you make with your basil and arugula pesto?
- Put it on grilled potatoes.
- Flavor your pasta and greens.
- Spread it on pizza.
- Stir it into spaghetti squash.
- Stir it into polenta.
Make pesto–that’s all there is to it.
More pesto recipes:
- You might also want to check out my homemade basil walnut pesto.
- This arugula pesto recipe is made with cashews.
- How about a garlic scape and spicy greens pesto?
Make it a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and whir up a batch of garlicky pesto!
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Basil and Arugula Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 3 ounces Parmesan cheese , broken in pieces or already grated (don’t even think of using that sawdust in the green can)
- 1 cup tightly packed stemmed fresh basil
- 1 cup tightly packed arugula leaves
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- With the motor of the food processor running, mince the garlic by dropping it through the feed tube. Process until it is very fine.
- Add the cheese, basil, walnuts and salt. Process for about 10 seconds, stopping to move things around if they get hung up.
- With the machine running, pour oil through the feed tube in a thin stream, processing until everything is well blended.
[…] A recipe for pesto that uses both arugula and basil: https://www.lettyskitchen.com/basil-and-arugula-pesto/ […] · 10 June, 2020