Creamy Pesto Sauce Recipe + Video

Portions: servings

Calories: 539kcal

The beauty of this creamy pesto sauce recipe is that it can be used in many different ways. For example, it can be used as a savoury dip with crackers or on pasta for an easy dinner. Genovese pesto is a delicious sauce that can be used in various dishes, with all fresh ingredients and flavors.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Video • Preparation

Creamy pesto sauce.

Why I ❤️ it

Fresh homemade pesto is one of my favorite foods. It's incredible how something so simple can have such complex flavors. This lovely Italian sauce with simple ingredients tastes rich, light, and fresh. All at the same time.

So I made a couple of jars of this creamy pesto sauce, and I tried it on everything, from pasta to bruschetta. And to please my insatiable taste for the green, with zucchini "fettuccini", all raw, and oh-so good!

Genovese creamy pesto sauce recipe

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Fresh basil and a handful of strong-flavored ingredients produce this delicious classic creamy pesto sauce recipe that can be used in a variety of dishes.

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Inspiration: Italian

Category: creamy pesto pasta sauce recipe, pesto genovese, recipe for creamy pesto sauce

Author: Clara Gonzalez

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Utensils and tools

Food processor

Ingredients

4 cups of fresh basil leaves, rinsed
⅓ cup of pine nuts
½ cup of Pecorino cheese (in small crumbs)
½ cup of Parmesan cheese (in small crumbs)
¾ cup of olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of sea salt

Video

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Mixing the ingredients

Mix all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse until everything is finely minced.

Step 2: Serving and storing

If you are not using it freshly-made, you can refrigerate it for up to two days.

Top tips

To deepen the pesto taste, you can lightly toast the pine nuts in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until they start to get a light golden color. Remove immediately and let them cool on a plate before blending the sauce.
To store, place in a mason jar or glass airtight container and refrigerate. It lasts for up to 2 days in the fridge.

Serving suggestions

Creamy pesto pasta recipe: In a pasta pot, boil the pasta al dente in salted water, following the instructions on the package. Drain the water (save a cup), and while still steaming hot, stir in the pesto. You may add some tablespoons of the boiling water to make it more creamy.

Gluten-free zucchini noodles: For a keto-friendly, gluten-free basil pesto dish, you can use zoodles (zucchini noodles). Check this zoodles recipe to see how I make them.

Appetizer dip: You can also serve this recipe as a dip for appetizers, great with these crispy broasted potatoes.

There are more dishes you can use pesto on, like this air fryer pesto chicken breast.

Variations

Some non-traditional versions substitute other nuts (like pistachios, almonds, and walnuts) for pine nuts

Nutritional information

Serves: approx. 1 ½ cup - Calories: 539kcal - Carbohydrates: 3g - Protein: 10gFat: 55g - Saturated Fat: 10g - Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g - Monounsaturated Fat: 33g - Cholesterol: 26mg - Sodium: 1465mg - Potassium: 168mg - Fiber: 0gSugar: 0g - Vitamin A: 1370IU - Vitamin C: 5mg - Calcium: 313mg - Iron: 1.8mg

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FAQs

What is pesto cream sauce made of?

Classic Genovese pesto is made of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and pecorino or parmesan cheese.

What do I do if I put too much garlic in my pesto?

If you accidentally added too much garlic or find the garlic flavor overpowering, you can blend a handful of basil, pine nuts, and cheese and add to the pesto to lower the garlic content.

Is pesto sauce already cooked?

Homemade pesto sauce is used raw. Canned or jar pesto is typically pasteurized.

Should you put pasta water in pesto?

If you find the pasta too dry once you mix it with the pesto, you can add a few tablespoons of pasta water to make it looser and more creamy.

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