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    Home » Recipes » Sauces & Seasonings

    Pesto alla Genovese (Italian basil pesto)

    Published: Jul 14, 2012 · Modified: May 31, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    296 shares
    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Pesto alla Genovese is the classic, emerald-green basil pesto from Genoa, Italy. This vibrant, fresh sauce adds bold flavor and instantly elevates any dish. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make at home, allowing you to control the ingredients for a fresher, more flavorful result. Whether tossed with pasta, drizzled over vegetables, or spread onto sandwiches, homemade pesto is a simple way to bring rich, herby goodness to your meals. Check out my list below for creative ways to use basil pesto!

    Classic Basil Pesto | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Traditional basil pesto (Pesto alla Genovese) doesn’t typically include lemon juice, but I love the bright, fresh lift it adds to this classic green sauce. The acidity enhances the flavors without overpowering them. You can skip it, or try making the pesto without it first—then taste and decide if you’d like to add a squeeze. This simple yet flavorful sauce is made with fresh basil leaves, pine nuts (or walnuts), olive oil, grated parmesan), and garlic for it's pungent bite.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Like This Recipe
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations
    • How to Make Pesto Genovese
    • Serving Suggestions
    • How to Store Pesto
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Recipes With Basil
    • ⭐️Did You Make This Recipe?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Why You'll Like This Recipe

    • If you love basil, you'll love this pesto sauce.
    • Easy to make with a food processor.
    • This is an easy recipe and such good pesto.

    For a twist on pesto, try this beautiful deep red sun-dried tomato basil. It's terrific.

    Recipe Ingredients

    • Basil: The main ingredient for Genovese pesto is basil, lots of fresh basil leaves, toss the stems. 
    • Oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil.
    • Nuts: Pine nuts are traditional and what I prefer. Their buttery creamy flavor is great in basil pesto. Options below.
    • Cheese: Get the real thing, a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself, or buy grated Parmesan to save time and for ease of use. 
    • Garlic: For the best flavor use only fresh garlic, and don't use too much garlic so it overpowers the  pesto.
    • Lemon: A little fresh lemon juice for the acidity against the richness of the pesto (not traditional). Optional.

    Please see the recipe card for measurement, salt and pepper.

    Chef's tip: Because homemade pesto takes a lot of basil, if you don't grow it, look for the large clamshell containers in the produce department. They are more economical when making pesto than the tiny ones. I grow Italian basil, Greek basil, and Thai basil in summer. All good and great to cook with. Grow some!

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Other Italian hard cheeses that you can use are Pecorino cheese, like (Pecorino Sardo made with sheep's milk) along with the Parmesan, or Grana Padano (which also has a nutty flavor), and is similar to Parmesan.
    • Use a handful of baby spinach leaves to help keep the color bright green.
    • Use different herbs, adding a little fresh oregano or Italian parsley. Cilantro is good too.

    How to Make Pesto Genovese

    The traditional way was making Pesto Genovese by hand with a marble mortar and pestle. Today, it's  a lot easier and faster to use a food processor. This also gives the pesto a smoother texture. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender, but be careful how long you blend to preserve some of the texture. 

    • In a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, drop the peeled garlic cloves through the feed tube while its running to mince the garlic. Alternatively use a garlic press for finely minced garlic or zest the garlic with a microplane.
    • Add basil leaves, oil, cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the food processor and process until fairly smooth. You can control the texture by how long you pulse. If it’s too thick for your tastes, thin with a little water, more olive oil, or a combination of the two. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you desire.
    • Using a flexible spatula scrape your fresh pesto into a container with a tightly fitting lid.

    This recipe makes thick pesto. If you want to thin it down, use more extra virgin olive oil.

    Chef's trick: To keep your pesto from turning brown, blanch the basil leaves in boiling water for a few seconds, then place immediately in an ice bath, a large bowl of half ice and cold water. When cold, drain the basil leaves and dry them on a clean kitchen towel, then use in the pesto. It reduces the potency of the basil flavor just a little, but your basil stays green

    Serving Suggestions

    What are some uses for basil pesto besides pasta? Glad you asked. There are lots of delicious ways to use Pesto Genovese:

    • Stir a couple of generous tablespoons into mashed potatoes for pesto mashed potatoes.
    • Toss pesto with roasted red potatoes when they are hot out of the oven.
    • Transform a simple turkey  sandwich into something special with pesto instead of mayo and mustard, then grill it on a Panini maker for a pesto Panini.
    • Make pesto-mayonnaise by combining pest and a little mayo.
    • Add to portobello mushrooms as an appetizer or meatless main dish.
    • Garnish soup, like the classic tomato soup recipe.
    • Mix with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt as a dip for raw vegetables (crudités).
    • Stir it into risotto for a rich, vibrant green Pesto Risotto.
    • Thin pesto down with a little half and half or milk, warm it up and made a sauce for fresh salmon. It's beautiful against the orange flesh.
    • Toss with cooked, chilled rotini (corkscrew) pasta, add tomatoes if desired for a quick, cool pasta salad.
    • Put a few dollops on a platter of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with good Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for an Italian Caprese-style salad.
    • Add a little to a vinaigrette for a pesto dressing for tossed green salad or roasted or grilled vegetables.
    • Garnish deviled eggs.
    • Toss with freshly cooked green beans for pesto green beans. Their good cold too.

    In terms of temperature, classic basil pesto is best around room temperature so the flavors shine. Warm is good to. 

    How to Store Pesto

    How do I store homemade basil pesto? Place pesto in a small airtight container that's just big enough to hold the volume, then pour a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on top to seal it. This helps keeps the pesto green, and from oxidizing and turning brown. It lasta a few days.

    For longer storage, pesto freezes great. I use an ice cube tray like these that come with a tight fitting lid. They come in 1 ounce portions (2 tablespoons). If you have the freezer space, I leave mine in the container rather than transferring them to a zip-style bag. 

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I freeze basil pesto?

    Yes, pesto freezes well. Freeze it in ice cube trays so you can pop out and thaw just what you need.

    Can I make pesto without pine nuts?

    If you don't have pine nuts, Pesto Genovese can be made with walnuts (or half and half), even with almonds or cashews, but realize the flavor will be a little different. If you are nut-allergic, try raw sunflower seeds.

    Can I make basil pesto vegan or dairy-free?

    To make pesto vegan or dairy-free, omit the Parmesan or use vegan parmesan. Another trick is to use a little nutritional yeast instead of the parmesan as it gives foods a cheesy flavor. I've done this and it's delicious for those who cannot eat parmesan cheese.

    More Recipes With Basil

    The link below for avocado dip uses fresh basil, and it's a terrific combination. Enjoy all of the wonderful ways you can use this beautiful green sauce called Pesto Genovese.

    • caprese skewers
      Easy Caprese Skewers with Basil Vinaigrette
    • Watermelon salad ready to serve with cucumber, feta, basil, shallots.
      Easy Watermelon Basil Salad with Feta Cheese
    • Plate of red, yellow and burgundy tomatoes with burrata and basil.
      Burrata Caprese with Fresh Tomatoes
    • Close up of creamy basil and avocado dip in white bowl.
      Avocado Dip with Yogurt and Fresh Basil

    ⭐️Did You Make This Recipe?

    If you make Pesto Genovese, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers.

    📖 Recipe

    Classic Basil Pesto | AFoodCentricLife.com

    Pesto Genovese (basil pesto)

    Sally Cameron
    Classic basil pesto is delicious and versatile. Toss with pasta, use with chicken or fish, thin with milk to make a sauce, or spread on a sandwich.
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course condiment
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 222 kcal

    Equipment

    • Food Processor or blender

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 ounces fresh basil leaves, stems discarded about 4 cups of packed leaves
    • ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
    • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts if you don’t like pine nuts, American or Italian
    • 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1-2 large garlic cloves peeled
    • 1 lemon juiced
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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    Instructions
     

    • In a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, drop the peeled garlic cloves through the feed tube while its running to mince the garlic. Alternatively use a garlic press for finely minced garlic.
    • Add basil leaves, oil, cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the food processor and process until fairly smooth. You can control the texture by how long you pulse. If it’s too thick for your tastes, thin with a little water, more olive oil, or a combination of the two. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if you desire.
    • Using a flexible spatula scrape your fresh pesto into a container with a tightly fitting lid.

    Notes

    Pesto will last about a week in the fridge in an airtight container or freezes for longer term storage. Freezing in small portions like ice cube trays works great. 
    Herb notes: to vary the flavor you can also mix in fresh oregano and parsley or try it with other green herbs like cilantro.
    Add a handful of baby spinach leaves to help keep it green.
    Nute notes: If you don’t like pine nuts, try walnuts instead or a combination of the two. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 8gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 494mgPotassium: 274mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 3098IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 260mgIron: 3mg
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    « Seared Scallops with Vegetables and Pasta
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    296 shares

    Comments

    1. Ann Mah says

      July 16, 2012 at 9:13 am

      Pesto is one of my favorite leftovers and you've given me so many new ideas. I also love to stir it into vegetable soup (like minestrone) -- it's so refreshing in the summer.

      Reply
    2. Shut Up & Cook says

      July 15, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      Two questions...how many cups does 8 oz equate to and do you think Asian Basil would work or would the purple in the leaf make it look ugly?

      Reply
      • Sally says

        July 15, 2012 at 1:49 pm

        Hi Erina. Will have to figure the cups vs ounces when I make it, probably this afternoon. Will let you know. I did ounces because it will depend on how tightly you stuff the cups. I think the purple in the leaf could muddy the color and make it not as attractive. Might taste good though.

        Reply
      • sally says

        July 17, 2012 at 7:11 pm

        Erina, it's 4 cups of tightly packed leaves, no stems. Making some tonight for a shrimp dish! Cuts in half easily for a half batch. 4 ounces = 2 cups packed.

        Reply
    3. Rebecca says

      July 15, 2012 at 7:22 am

      Wow, look at all of those ideas to use this gorgeous pesto! Can't wait to try it on roasted red potatoes!

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Chef Sally Cameron of aFoodcentricLife.com in her kitchen.

    Welcome! I'm Sally, a professionally trained chef, former personal chef and caterer, lover of fresh healthy food, and sharing it with others.

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