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An overhead shot of a jar of basil pesto sauce, surrounded by pine nuts, fresh basil and garlic cloves.
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A Handy Basil Pesto Sauce

Basil pesto sauce is infinitely useful in the kitchen, and can get you out of almost any dinnertime conundrum.
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Kitchen Basics
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 319kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 50 g (1 generous cup) basil leaves firmly packed
  • 20 g (2 Tablespoons) pine nuts roasted
  • 30 g (6 Tablespoons) grated Pecorino cheese
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil

Instructions

  • Place the garlic in a food processor or blender, and pulse briefly to roughly chop the garlic.
  • Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, Pecorino, sea salt, and half of the olive oil to the food processor.
  • Blitz the mixture for 30 seconds, or until finely chopped.
  • Scrape down the sides of the food processor.
  • Add the remainder of the olive oil, and pulse until the oil is incorporated. 
  • Can be used immediately.  Or spoon the pesto into a glass jar, smooth the surface, cover with olive oil and store in the fridge for up to one week. 

Notes

This handy basil pesto sauce can also be frozen using the instructions in the post above.