Roasted Pistachio Pesto

Roasted Pistachio Pesto is a bright herbaceous sauce that is super simple to make and extremely versatile.  A twist on the classic version that uses pine nuts, but is just as vibrant in flavor.

Summer is here, I love cooking with fresh produce from my own garden or Farmer’s Markets.  I have been growing several types of basil in my garden and nothing can beat the smell of freshly picked basil.  With an overabundance of basil since my plants really took off, I hate letting it go to waste.  So what to do, why make some fresh pesto of course!

This recipe for Roasted Pistachio Pesto is so simple to make you just need a blender or food processor.  Literally, in less than 10 minutes you have a delicious versatile sauce!

My family’s favorite way to use pesto is tossing it with pasta of course, however slathering it on a Panini is a very close second.  There are so many ways to use this sauce, so get creative and have fun mixing flavors.

Storage tip:

Basil pesto darkens when exposed to air, so to store, cover tightly with plastic wrap making sure the plastic is touching the top of the pesto and not allowing the pesto to have contact with air. The pesto will stay greener longer that way.

Roasted Pistachio Pesto tastes great used in a variety of dishes.  Toss with pasta, use as a pizza topping sauce, or as a sandwich spread.  The options are endless!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pistachio nuts, roasted
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

Note:  How to roast pistachios- Heat a medium shallow pan to medium high.  place pistachios in the pan and gently stir.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the oils come out of the pistachios but be careful not to burn them.  Remove from heat.

Instructions:

Place the basil leaves and pistachio nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a several times.

Add the garlic and Parmesan cheese and pulse several times more. Scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Adding the olive oil slowly, while the processor is running, will help it emulsify and help keep the olive oil from separating.

Stir in salt and freshly ground black pepper, add more to taste.

Pin this recipe to your favorite sauce Pinterest board to make for later!