If you’ve only ever had pesto from a jar, you’re in for a treat. The brightness that comes from fresh basil and freshly toasted pine nuts is incomparable to the stuff you buy on the shelf in your local grocery store. Throw this sauce on your favorite shape of pasta, into a big pot of fresh rice, or smear it on your tomato and mozzarella sandwich for the perfect summer lunch.

Basil is easy to grow and can even be grown in a little pot on your window sill during colder months. Any time my basil plants get out of control, I throw a bunch of leaves into pesto to preserve them before they go bad.

Pesto

Ingredients

¾ cup Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves

½ cup pine nuts

6 cups fresh basil leaves

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Grate cheese using small hole grater or zester.  
2. Mince or grate garlic (ask a grown up to help with grating on the same small hole grater as your cheese).
3. Toast pine nuts by placing them in a small skillet and heating over medium until they smell nutty. Shake them gently continuously so that they roll around and don’t stay in one spot too long. This will help them not burn. 
4. Add pine nuts to your food processor.
5. Add cheese and garlic and pulse. 
6. Add basil. 
7. Add olive oil with processor running
8. Add salt. 
9. Save ½ pasta water and 2 Tbsp butter (cut) to toss with pasta if you are making pesto pasta. 

Notes: 

• Serve pesto with roasted potatoes, pasta, grilled meat, chicken, any roasted veggie, on top of pizza as a sauce, or on a sandwich as a spread