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PANTRY BASIC: PESTO

May 21, 2020 | Sides and Sauces

My mom is known for her awesome pesto. We used to have pasta with pesto all the time when I was younger, but now that we’re Paleo we like to serve it on chicken, shrimp, and even salads. The original recipe had Parmesan cheese in it, but we simply skip it and you can barely tell the difference. It freezes really well (I used to bring pounds of it to college with me), so make a double batch and save some for later. MAKES ¾ CUP

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK TIME: None

1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts

1 to 2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  1. In a blender or food processor (we prefer a blender because we like ours super finely chopped), blend the basil, salt, pine nuts, and water. Keep the blender running while you stream the olive oil in.
  2. Transfer to a mason jar or other container with a tightly fitting lid, and store refrigerated for up to 7 days or freeze.

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