
With the right ingredients and a good blending tool, in a matter of minutes you can be pouring this green sauce from heaven onto your favorite dish. I leave nuts out of my recipe, mostly because of cost, but also because I don’t really taste a difference. Pine nuts are commonly called for in pesto recipes but it’s hard to find them cheaply (at least $5). Also so many people are allergic to them, why risk it if you are having people over.
I love the smell of fresh basil! Wait to pick the leaves until they start to curl and show ridges. Aren’t they pretty?
My favorite way to eat pesto is with pasta, plain and simple. Pesto also goes great as a sandwich spread, as a replacement pizza sauce (check out my recipe here) and to season meats.
Price: 2 out of 4 on my price scale. I buy the parmasean cheese at Aldi for $1.99 and use about 1/2 the container. It only takes 1/3 a cup of oil which doesn’t make a huge dent in the bottle. I try to shoot for the $10 price point for my everyday EVOO. At a minimum I recommend buying the pre-grown plants at the grocery store, and keep it growing for when you get hungry for more pesto! They are usually $3.99.
How to grow your own basil:
The next step is trimming the leaves, which is so easy! When you’re ready to use the basil, pluck the leaves off individually. No scissors needed. The plant will keep growing even after you use the ripe leaves.
Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe:


Thanks for the helpful recipe I hope it turns out good!