added this 2 years ago
Easy Pesto Sauce
What you need:
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 splash nondairy milk, optional for a creamier texture (I use soy milk)
What you do:
1. Combine all ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Blend until desired consistency is reached.
3. You can add more oil if you like it more oil based, or more milk or nutritional yeast if you like it creamier.
4. Heat up in a sauce pan and pour over cooked pasta.
Source of recipe: I wrote this recipe.
Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Servings:
2-4
Recipe Category:
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This is THE vegan pesto recipe. My usual version is pretty similar to this, except I sub walnuts for the pine nuts (I am too cheap to buy pine nuts and I don't think walnuts drastically alter the flavor), increase the basil to about 2 cups total, and leave out the soymilk. The nutritional yeast is key if you want that signature nutty parmesan-y flavor in your pesto; I have been disappointed every time I've left out the nooch. It's also critical that you use a high-quality, fruity extra-virgin olive oil since it plays such a prominent role in this recipe. Anyway, it is SO GOOD - I've been known to eat this pesto straight out of the food processor with a spoon.
My method for making a pesto pasta sauce is a bit different than the one posted, but saves you from dirtying up an extra pan: First cook 16 oz dried string pasta (fettuccine, spaghetti, whatever you've got) per package instructions. While the pasta is boiling, make the pesto paste in the food processor/blender, then drizzle in anywhere from 1/2 cup - 1 cup hot pasta cooking water (depending on desired consistency) while pulsing to incorporate - it becomes a pretty, creamy light green sauce. Make sure to taste-test the final product - you might have to add a bit more salt/nutritional yeast since the water tends to slightly dilute the flavors. Drain the noodles, return them to the cooking pot, pour the pesto sauce over the pasta and toss with tongs to incorporate. The residual heat of the pasta "melts" the pesto so it clings to each strand of pasta. This will serve four normal people, or two people mindlessly stuffing their faces in front of a Harry Potter movie.
I have made this already like 4 times i love it. My hubby and i make this to go on homemade pizza, so good!
I'm not sure if it freezes well or not, however, I've heard the best way to freeze pesto is to put it into ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. Then when you want one or two, etc you just pop them out of the tray and thaw! I'm going to try it with this recipe :)
I'm wondering if this recipe freezes well. Thoughts?
My family really enjoyed this Pesto Recipe. Thank you for inventing it!