How to Make Basil Pesto

I have been blessed with a huge crop of basil this year. And while it’s good fresh, what do you do with all of what’s left over? I make basil pesto and freeze it.

So here is my recipe for basil pesto.

4 cups of fresh basil leaves

2 Tablespoons of olive oil.

1 Teaspoon of minced garlic

2 Tablespoons of shredded Parmesan cheese.

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You will want to wash the cuttings and break the leaves away from the stems where I’ve circled.

Then lay all the leaves out on a towel to dry.

I’m such a dork and totally forgot to take pictures of this part.

I put the basil, oil and garlic in a food processor and minced them together. I had to take the lid off several times and scrape the edges so the leaves didn’t stick to the edge. Once the basil leaves were all minced I added the cheese which thickened it a little. Presto! It’s pesto!

Then I scoped the basil pesto out in tablespoon sized balls onto a cookie pan.

Basil Pesto

Stuck the pan in the freezer for a few hours.

Now, you can use ice cube trays for this as well. Then I quickly wrapped each ball in plastic wrap, and then put them in a Ziploc freezer bag. That is to keep the freezer burn away.

Last year I just scoped it all into a bag without making balls and then I just broke pieces off as I needed it. However, it started to freezer burn after a couple of months and I didn’t want that.

Do you want to grow your own basil? Check out this series from Practically Functional.

So, three hours later I am finishing this post, Know why? Thinking about basil and pesto, got me to thinking about a big bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo! So guess what supper was!