Basil & Walnut Pesto

Basil
Luise and I met in Rome in Italy. Each date we had i took her to a new restaurant, constantly trying to impress her. It turned out that no matter how expensive the restaurants were, all she wanted was the oh-so-simple Pasta Pesto.
A couple of months later we moved to Sweden and we haven’t (strangely enough) been eating very much pesto since then. Maybe because no one makes it like the Italians. But when our supermarket practically gave away flavory, organic Basil we began dreaming about the good-old-pesto-days again.
We used walnuts instead of pine nuts, they work just as well and Luise claims that they are even more nutritious.

Basil & Walnut pesto

Walnut Pesto
2 large handfuls of fresh basil
100 g walnuts
50 g parmesan
½ clove garlic
60 ml / 1/4 cup olive oil (or more if you’re Italian …)
salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix them until it becomes smooth.
Serve it with pasta, on pizza or in a sandwich.

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19 Comments

  • Pingback : The Mother of all Veggie Bowls – Wikaniko Wiki
    […] great mixed with rice or smothered on top of a sandwich. We also made a Green Pesto inspired by this old recipe of ours. But you can also just go for a store bought. Lastly, we made a Vegan White Bean & […]
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  • Pingback : The Mother of all Veggie Bowls - TeraStuff
    […] is great mixed with rice or smothered on top of a sandwich. We also made a Green Pesto inspired by this old recipe of ours. But you can also just go for a store bought. Lastly, we made a Vegan White Bean & […]
    Reply
  • Silvia
    Hello! First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the gorgeous veggie recipes you kindly share with us. What's more, thanks for the INSPIRATION. It may seem ridiculous, but one of the biggest issues I found when thinking of becoming a vegetarian was that, as a food-passionate -not just eating, but cooking, sharing a table... All things food-related- I could lose something really important for me. But you have shown me how exciting and incredibly creative green cooking can be, and now I finally made my big choice and became a vegetarian. I can't thank you enough for this, but I needed to tell you what a huge change you've made in my life, and that you'll always have a friend here in the north of Spain. On the other hand, I wanted to make a comment about the parmesan cheese this recipe includes. Some cheeses are not suitable for vegetarians, as they are made with calf rennet, and that's always the case of parmesan. https://www.vegsoc.org/saycheese#.VdUFwl2bvbW I hope it helps.
    Reply
  • Lesly
    I put in a handful of my own basil and chives, with the walnuts, garlic and s&p. Blended it all up, then stuck it in the fridge to meld. I added the parm on top of the pasta after the pesto was blended with it and it was INCREDIBLE!!! Add a salad and you have an amazing Meatless Meal. Everyone raved.
    Reply
  • Pingback : At være eller ikke at være | Trine Ring Olesen
    […] en ordentlig frokost, en veninde vovede sig ind hos mig og vi prøvede denne opskrift på lækkert soltørrettomat smøre pålæg, en tunsalat og en humus med godt rugbrød til. Maden var dejlig og selskabet var […]
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  • joanne
    Can this recipe be frozen? If so, how long will it last in the freezer? Thanks!
    Reply
    • Green Kitchen Stories
      I have never tried freezing pesto. It can probably be done, but it's one of those recipes that is quite easy to make and always will taste better fresh. If you have made too much of it, you can store it in the fridge and then use the rest on a sandwich or mix it up with millet or quinoa in a salad. /David
      Reply
    • Natassia
      Hi, I've found that freezing pesto is just fine -- just make sure to thaw it slowly in the fridge by letting it sit for a day or so to reach a normal consistency. The pesto will probably last for a month or more; frozen food items usually will last for nearly ever, it seems. Course, as fresh as possible is the best option but freezing is just fine, too.
      Reply
  • joanne
    I just discovered your wonderful website and am wanting to try many of your recipes.. so thank you! I have several questions about this pesto recipe.. What is the quantity for 2 pots of basil? I haven't heard that term before. When you say 1/2 garlic, do you mean 1/2 of a clove or..? What does 1/2 dl olive oil mean? I'm not sure what "dl" stands for.. I'm not an experienced cook, so I need some things spelled out for me. I'm also in the United States, but have a gram scale so that helps. Thanks again!
    Reply
    • Green Kitchen Stories
      Hi Joanne. We wrote this recipe a long time ago and used Swedish measurements back then. It's now updated and is hopefully easier to understand. Thanks for letting us know. /David
      Reply
  • Pingback : PESTO ADDICTED
    […] I use walnuts instead of pine nuts per the amazing Green Kitchen Stories duo.   Find them here. […]
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  • Pingback : Soup’s On: Tomato Chickpea Pesto Soup
    [...] Ingredients 1/2 diced medium onion 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 minced garlic clove 1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper 1 15-ounce can drained, rinsed chickpeas basil pesto – jarred or make your own basil and walnut pesto [...]
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  • Pingback : PinLaVie... Make your pins come true – Basil & Walnut Pesto
    [...] it with pasta, on pizza or in a sandwich….find the recipe here. No Comments.   « Parmesan and parsley crusted [...]
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  • Sabine
    What's a pot equal to...as in "2 pots of basil"?
    Reply
  • Marci
    We love pesto at our house, my daughter especially. I just tried it with walnuts this morning and it was FABULOUS! Several years ago I was making pesto and realized I was out of pine nuts so I substituted cashews instead ~ we never looked back. Walnuts are equally as good. I also add a bit of lemon juice to my pesto which brightens the taste (especially in the winter when basil is not always at its peak) and it also keeps the pesto nice and bright green! LOVE your beautiful website!
    Reply
  • Corinne
    I use pumpkin seeds in my pesto - beautifully green, and not ever bitter . . . I like them better than walnuts.
    Reply
  • Valeria
    It's funny, all my life I always thought pesto was made with walnuts because my mother did it like that (little did I know that pine nuts are practically impossible to find here in Venezuela, and if you do find them you have to pay a LOT of money for them). I totally agree with you guys, walnuts are definetly more nutritious, and the best part is that this pesto doesn't leave that horrible after taste that the pine nut pesto does. I also add flax seeds to my pesto, you can't actually notice them but they do make a difference.
    Reply
  • yashika
    Have been lurking around your wonderful blog for a while now :)...and I have tried this amazing pesto. It's perfect because we don't get pine nuts so easily here in Mumbai, and randomly substituting it with walnuts has never worked. This recipe is perfect. All my friends are now addicted to this pesto!! Thank you.
    Reply
  • Marla
    Simple and perfect!! I love pesto and I adore how many versions there are of it. Your photos are beautiful!
    Reply

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