Five Minute Nut Free Pesto

I have plenty of basil in the garden so I thought I would make pesto with it. I didn’t have any pine nuts and I didn’t even notice they weren’t in there. This is a perfect recipe for those that are allergic to nuts or need a sauce in about 5 minutes.
This recipe is packed with flavor and it’s budget friendly too. Use your homemade nut free pesto on pizza, chicken or pasta. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for 5-7 days.

Rinse the basil in cold water.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Add the basil to a food processor then on top add the garlic, salt and pepper.

Pour olive oil over the top.

Pulse until chopped up and combined then pour into a bowl.

Add the cheese and toss with a spoon to combine. I used my pesto for pasta which I will post next week.
Five Minute Nut Free Pesto
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com

Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, diced small
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil (your preference)
Directions
- Rinse the basil in cold water, pat dry with paper towels.
- Add the basil to a food processor then add the garlic, salt and pepper.
- Pour the olive oil on top and pulse until chopped small and combined.
- Pour pesto into a bowl, add the cheese and stir with a spoon.
- Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for 5-7 days.
Categories: Cheese, Garlic, Herbs, Oil, Snacks/Appetizers

A useful variation
Thank you Derrick!
excellent
Thanks!
Thank you Ned!
Lovely Diane! I rarely put nuts in my pesto because of severe food allergies in my family. I’ve used sunflower seeds and other seeds in their place for time to time, and even radishes for texture!
Thank you Dorothy, I really enjoyed it.
Looks awesome, Diane. I like that it didn’t need pine nuts which can be quite pricy! It’s so nice you have so much growing in your garden that you can draw inspiration from.
Thank you for your kind words Ab!
This sounds quick and easy. Will have to give this a try 🙂
I love it. I added cream to it and made a pesto pasta dish. I am hoping to post it on Saturday. Thank you Paul!
Good to know! I always think of pine nuts when I think of basil pesto, but it’s not always something that is readily available.
Some people substitute walnuts for the pine nuts but I loved this pesto just the way it is.
Thanks for this. I love pesto and often avoid tomato sauce based stuff. I thought of trying pesto on that pizza bread recipe of yours. I loved that receipe so thought pesto might be great with it. I use it often with pasta, mushrooms, olives, spinich and artichoke mixtures. I had it once on toasted bread, with asisago cheese, sun dried tomatoes and scrambled eggs and that was great as well.
You’re welcome Katelon. I added a cup of cream and used it as a sauce for my pasta. I will post that recipe soon. I love all the ways you use pesto. Thank you for telling me you loved the pizza bread and I think this pesto would work great with it.
I don’t think I’ve ever had pesto, so I learned something tonight.
It can be made with different greens but basil is used the most. It is so simple and cheap to make if you grow your own basil.
You are lucky you have a green thumb to make all the peso you want.
I love pesto on my toasted (gluten free) flatbread every morning. My pesto is thriving, and it’s about time to make another batch. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome and enjoy!
Looks perfect
Thank you so much!
I loved this
Great me too, it’s so easy. Thank you Barbara!
Great recipe Diane. I used to make pesto years ago but stopped as I can’t have nuts of any kind anymore. Thank you😊
You have to try this recipe without nuts then. I really enjoyed it with my pasta recipe. Thank you Susan!
Now that I’m thinking about it, we make a lot of basil pesto but never use pine nuts! And yes, we use our pesto for pasta too – yummy!
Great minds think alike! 🤣
This recipe sounds really good. I wish I had some fresh basil from the garden but didn’t plant any. I wonder if grocery stores carry it all year long? Can I use dried basil?
I know our grocery store carry’s it fresh but they charge a fortune. You can’t use dried basil, only fresh. Dried basil wouldn’t taste very good.