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    Home » Recipes » Sauces and Dips Recipes

    Homemade Italian Pesto Sauce

    Updated: Jan 26, 2025 · Published: Jan 7, 2015 by Andrea

    Jump to Recipe

    Learn the secrets behind one of the most famous Italian sauces in the world, and make a delicious homemade pesto sauce in less than 10 mins.

    Pesto is a traditional Italian sauce originating from Genoa, and literally means "crushed", in reference to the original method of preparation, using a pestle and mortar.

    If you don't have a mortar at home, you can obviously use a food processor to make pesto, but make sure the blazes are very cold and you only pulse for few seconds, to maintain its beautiful bright green color.

    Pesto is a fantastic quick fixing if you're looking for an easy sauce to go with your pasta. If you're a meat lover, it's also a great accompaniment for salmon, steak, carpaccio, to name a few.

    Making pesto couldn't be easier, the secret behind this amazing sauce is sourcing well the few ingredients you need to make it. Pick the best and freshest available on the market and you're ready to go.

    Start by trying the classic pesto, once you've mastered the basic recipe, get creative and add different nuts, cheeses, and even herbs.

    How to Make Italian Basil Pesto

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

    Place pine nuts, garlic and salt into the mortar and crush until reaching a paste consistency.

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

    Gradually add in the basil leaves, crushing with the pestle all the way long.

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

    Pestle until all the leaves turn into a creamy bright green paste.

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

    Fold in the Parmesan cheese and mix until well combined.

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

    Gradually add in the extravirgin olive oil, until reaching a creamy texture. Here we go, pesto is done!

    Italian Homemade Pesto Sauce - Quick, Easy and Vegetarian - Recipe by the petite cook

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    For the best pasta with pesto you will ever taste, mix the pesto sauce with ⅓ cup of pasta cooking water, toss into the pasta and serve.

    More Pesto Recipes

    Check out these tasty pesto variations to make something different from the classic sauce:

    Barley Pea Pesto Salad with Grana Padano and Prosciutto

    Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta

    Wild Garlic Pesto {Vegan & GF}

    Recipe

    How to Make Italian Homemade Pesto sauce vegetarian recipe by the petite cook
    Print SaveSaved!
    5 from 1 vote

    Homemade Italian Pesto Sauce

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Learn the secrets behind one of the most famous Italian sauces in the world, and make a delicious homemade pesto sauce in less than 10 minutes.
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Total Time5 minutes mins
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: Italian
    Serving: 4
    Calories: 330kcal
    Author: Andrea Soranidis

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups fresh basil leaves
    • 2 tablespoon pine nuts
    • ½ cup extravirgin olive oil
    • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    • ½ garlic clove finely minced, heart removed
    • a pinch of kosher salt

    Instructions

    • Place pine nuts, garlic and salt into the mortar and crush until reaching a paste consistency.
    • Gradually add in the basil leaves, crushing with the pestle all the way long.
    • Pestle until all the leaves turn into a creamy bright green paste.
    • Fold in the Parmesan cheese and mix until well combined.
    • Gradually add in the extravirgin olive oil, until reaching a creamy texture.
    • Reserve ⅓ cup pasta cooking water and mix with pesto before tossing it with the pasta.
    • Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days.

    Notes

    Makes 1 cup of basil pesto
    Did you try this recipe? Tag @thepetitecook or use the hashtag #thepetitecook - Looking at your pictures makes my day!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1059IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 1mg

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

     

    More Sauces and Dips Recipes

    • Pistachio pesto with pasta.
      Pistachio Pesto
    • whipped ricotta cheese.
      Whipped Ricotta Dip
    • Neapolitan pizza sauce.
      Neapolitan Pizza Sauce
    • ragu sauce with pasta.
      Traditional Ragu Sauce - Bolognese
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    Comments

    1. plasterer bristol says

      June 22, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      yummy, this recipe tasted perfect. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Simon

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    About Andrea

    Andrea Soranidis, founder of The Petite Cook.


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