Pesto alla Genovese

Pesto alla Genovese is the quintessential Italian basil pesto. It's simple, ready in just 10 minutes, and incredibly flavorful. It's delicious on pasta, chicken, fish, roasted veggies, and more.

The recipe makes approximately ½ cup of pesto (enough for 9oz/250 grams of pasta).

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pesto alla genovese

Servings:

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Katia

Ingredients

Basil Pesto alla Genovese

1 ½ cup (45 grams) Basil leaves
¼ cup (20 grams) Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (10 grams) Pecorino cheese
1 heaped tablespoon pine nuts (toasting is optional)
1 small garlic clove, sliced
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Wash and dry the basil well: Remove stems from the basil, wash the leaves and remove excess water (I recommend using a salad spinner), then pat them dry using kitchen paper.
Whizz: Add the dry ingredients to a small food processor and whizz until finely chopped. If using a blender or immersion blender, you need to add the olive oil now (adding a touch of extra oil or water if it helps to blitz).
Add the olive oil: Blend until well combined and smooth (I prefer to keep some texture, but you can blend it to the desired consistency).
Serve or store: Stir in pasta, pasta salads, vegetable soups, roasted veggies, whatever you like. Alternatively, store it in the fridge or freezer (see my storage tips in the post above). Enjoy!

Notes

Pine nuts: To toast the pine nuts (optional), preheat a small skillet over medium heat, add the pine nuts, and toast until lightly browned, which takes about 3 minutes. Immediately remove them from the skillet.

Nutrition Facts: The nutrition values are for one serving and are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only, and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice (extra parmesan cheese for serving is not included). Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition