Authentic Basil Pesto
A bright, creamy Genovese-style pesto made in a food processor with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and good olive oil. Pulsing briefly and keeping everything cool preserves the vivid green color and sweet flavor.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 4 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 29 min
- Makes
- About 1 cup (240 ml), enough to sauce 1 pound (450 g) of pasta
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the food processor bowl and blade in the freezer for 10 minutes; a cool bowl helps keep the basil green.
- Wash the basil and dry it completely in a salad spinner, then pat with towels. Wet leaves make a watery, dull pesto.
- Grate the Parmesan fresh from a wedge; pre-grated cheese is drier and blends less smoothly.
- Pick only the leaves and tender top stems; thick lower stems taste bitter.
Toast the pine nuts
- Place the pine nuts in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir or shake the pan constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
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Ready when: Nuts are pale golden with a nutty aroma; a few have light brown spots.
Tip: Pine nuts burn within seconds of turning golden, so pour them out of the hot pan right away.
Cool the nuts
- Tip the toasted nuts onto a plate in a single layer and let them cool completely, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, grate the cheeses and prep the basil and garlic if not done.
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Ready when: Nuts feel room temperature to the touch.
Grind nuts and garlic
- In the chilled food processor, combine the cooled pine nuts, garlic and salt.
- Pulse 8 to 10 times, scraping the bowl once, until finely chopped and sandy.
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Ready when: Mixture looks like coarse, moist crumbs with no large pieces of garlic.
Tip: The salt acts as an abrasive and helps break down the garlic.
Add the basil
- Add half of the basil and pulse 5 to 6 times.
- Add the remaining basil and pulse another 6 to 8 times, scraping down the sides, until a coarse, dark green paste forms.
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Ready when: No whole leaves remain and the paste is thick and bright green.
Tip: Use short pulses rather than running the motor; friction heats the basil and turns it brown.
Stream in the oil
- With the processor running, pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream over about 20 seconds.
- Stop as soon as the sauce looks glossy and cohesive.
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Ready when: Sauce is thick, spoonable and slightly textured, not a thin puree.
Tip: Over-processing makes the oil bitter, so keep blending to under a minute total.
Fold in the cheese
- Scrape the pesto into a bowl.
- Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino by hand with a spatula until evenly combined.
- Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed.
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Ready when: Pesto tastes balanced: sweet basil, savory cheese, gentle garlic, and not flat.
Tip: Stirring cheese in by hand keeps the texture creamy and prevents it from turning gluey. Cheeses are salty, so taste before adding salt.
Serve or store
- To serve with pasta, thin about ¼ cup (60 ml) of pesto with 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot pasta cooking water per pound of pasta, then toss off the heat.
- To store, transfer to a jar, press the surface flat and cover with a thin layer of extra olive oil.
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Ready when: Pesto coats the pasta in a creamy, glossy layer.
Tip: Never heat pesto in the pan; high heat dulls the color and makes the cheese clump.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep everything cold, including the bowl, and pulse in short bursts to prevent browning.
- Dry basil thoroughly; excess water dilutes flavor and shortens shelf life.
- Use a mortar and pestle for a more traditional, silkier texture: grind garlic and salt, then nuts, then basil leaves, then stir in cheese and oil.
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water before draining; it loosens pesto into a silky sauce without extra oil.
Make ahead
"Pesto can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated with a layer of olive oil on top. For the best color, bring to room temperature for 15 minutes before using."
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate in an airtight jar with a thin layer of olive oil on the surface for up to 5 days. Freeze (ideally without the cheese, adding it after thawing) in an ice cube tray, then transfer cubes to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and stir well; do not microwave.
Substitutions
- pine nuts → blanched almonds or walnuts. Use the same weight, toasted. Walnuts add slight bitterness; almonds are milder.
- Pecorino Romano → additional Parmigiano-Reggiano. Use 2 tablespoons (12 g) more; the pesto will be slightly milder and less tangy.
- extra-virgin olive oil → light extra-virgin olive oil. Avoid robust or peppery oils, which can turn bitter when blended.
- fresh basil leaves → Genovese basil from a bunch or a mix of basil and baby spinach. Replace up to 1 cup (about 20 g) of the basil with spinach for a milder, greener result.
