This classic basil pesto recipe creates a bright, herbaceous sauce that makes pretty much everything taste better. More than just a booster for pasta, homemade pesto is a truly versatile addition to any condiment arsenal, equally at home coating blistered green beans as it is swooshed under lamb meatballs, dolloped on top of scrambled eggs, or swirled into soup.
You will need a food processor—if you don’t have one, we highly recommend making this an excuse to get one; it’s a good investment you’ll use forever and ever and ever—and a handful of ingredients like fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic.
The key to great pesto sauce is adding the basil at the end instead of blending everything all at once so that the herb maintains its verdant color and fresh flavor. If you’d like a little heat, a dash of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes would be a nice addition.
Depending on how you want to use the pesto, you may also wish to thin it out with a bit of ice water or lemon juice. If you’ve got a bushel of summer basil, feel free to scale up the recipe and then freeze the pesto in portions using an ice cube tray. Or, use this recipe as a blueprint to use up other ingredients like cilantro or arugula in place of the basil, cashews or pecans in place of the pine nuts, or Pecorino Romano or another hard Italian cheese in place of the parm.
INGREDIENTS
Pesto
½ cup pine nuts
85g. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
6 cups basil leaves (about 3 bunches)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
Pasta (optional)
340g. dried long pasta (such as spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini)
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Finely grated Parmesan, for garnish
RECIPE PREPARATION
Pesto
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast ½ cup pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet (or quarter-sheet pan), tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add 85g. Parmesan and 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add 6 cups basil leaves and place the top back on. With the motor running, add ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with 1 tsp. kosher salt.
Do ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Top with ½" oil to prevent browning. Store in a covered container (an extra drizzle of oil on top will help prevent oxidation) and chill.
Pasta
If using pesto with pasta, cook 340g dried long pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
Place pesto and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a large bowl. Add pasta and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid. Using tongs, toss vigorously, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until pasta is glossy and well coated with sauce. Season with salt.
Divide pasta among bowls. Top with finely grated Parmesan.
