Garden Pesto for the Freezer
Pesto is a summer classic when basil is bursting from the garden! This recipe will help you stretch that basil and make use of lots of extra garden greens like kale, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard or herbs. Stock your freezer with those little green jars with lots of simple weeknight dinner ideas to use them all year!
Servings: 4 small jars
Calories: 269kcal
Equipment
- food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 4 cups basil and any extra greens such as kale, arugula, Swiss chard or spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 juice of a lemon (3 Tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup water (as needed to reach desired consistency)
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes.
- Wash greens well and discard large stems. Add all ingredients to a food processor except olive oil and water. Begin processing, then drizzle in the oil and water through the feed tube with the processor running, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides with a spatula.
- Use within 3 days, or freeze extra pesto in small jars.
Notes
- Pine nuts can be substituted with almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- When freezing pesto in glass jars, don't fill them more than ¾'s full to allow room for expansion while freezing. You can also freeze in ice cube trays.
- To use, thaw basil overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 719mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1351IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 162mg | Iron: 2mg