Got garlic? Got basil? Got parmesan? Get pesto.
Pesto is so great for so many things. It has a bright fresh Italian flavour and is excellent with all types of pasta, even on it's own! Fresh is always best and so the recipe here! Toss through freshly cooked pasta, use as a pizza topping, in my recipe Pizza Scrolls, as a stuffing for chicken or just as a dressing on fresh steamed vegetables, or with roasted meat. Also serve reduced with more oil and lemon juice as a salad dressing. Or you can serve with cheese and crackers or as part of an antipasto platter...and hey Pesto, you have added a wonderful touch with little to no fuss!
Pasta & Grains
Classic Pesto Pasta: Toss with freshly cooked pasta (spaghetti, penne, or fusilli).
Pasta Salad: Mix pesto with cold pasta, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and olives.
Risotto: Stir into risotto for a creamy and herbaceous finish.
Grain Bowls: Drizzle over quinoa, farro, or rice bowls with roasted vegetables.
Breads & Spreads
Spread for Sandwiches: Use as a flavorful spread for paninis or wraps.
Pizza Sauce: Swap traditional tomato sauce for pesto on homemade pizza.
Garlic Bread: Spread onto toasted bread or baguette slices.
Flatbreads: Drizzle over flatbreads or focaccia.
Meat & Seafood
Chicken Marinade: Use as a marinade or topping for grilled or baked chicken.
Fish Garnish: Spoon over baked salmon, snapper, or any grilled seafood.
Steak Topping: Add a dollop of pesto to a cooked steak for a fresh burst of flavor.
Vegetables
Roasted Vegetables: Toss with roasted zucchini, capsicums, (bell peppers), or eggplant.
Stuffed Vegetables: Add to stuffed mushrooms, capsicums, (bell peppers), or tomatoes.
Vegetable Dip: Blend with Greek yogurt for a creamy dipping sauce.
Snacks & Appetizers
Caprese Salad: Drizzle over tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil.
Bruschetta: Use as a topping for crostini with ricotta or tomatoes.
Cheese Plate: Pair with hard cheeses like Parmesan or pecorino.
Miscellaneous
Soup Swirl: Add a spoonful to tomato soup or minestrone.
Eggs: Spread on toast and top with poached or scrambled eggs.
Dressing: Mix with olive oil or vinegar for a flavorful salad dressing.
Traditional pesto is incredibly versatile—get creative and add a burst of fresh basil flavour to almost any dish!
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Need
- 100 Grams pinenuts
- 100 Grams parmesan cheese cubed
- 2 Handfuls basil leaves
- 3-5 cloves garlic or to taste
- 100 Grams Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) or more to taste BUY
- pink salt flakes to taste BUY
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
Do
- 1
Gently toast pinenuts in a dry pan until toasted and golden. (Watch the whole time!) Set aside.
- 2
Place parmesan into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10 until very fine.
- 3
Add the garlic, basil into Thermomix bowl and blend 5 sec/speed 7.
- 4
Add pinenuts and then in a steady stream add at least 60g EVOO, possibly more, through the hole in lid whilst the blades are rotating on speed 3-4.
- 5
Add salt and lemon juice, zest to taste. (This will preserve colour and add a zing!)
More
This will keep in sterilised jar in the fridge for around 3 weeks but of course, it probably won't make it into the fridge at all once you taste it!
Served with
Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of eight, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.
Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!
