Easy Garlic Basil Pesto Recipe

If you are a garlic lover, you’ll love this recipe! =) It’s also been professionally tested by my 1 year old, and was given a big smile and a stuffed green face of approval. Yay! I’ve made this a few times now, Elsie – my little one – loves it! It is super easy to put together and tastes best fresh (though it can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 nights in a tight sealed container). I would recommend getting the freshest ingredients possible for this recipe.

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Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup of nuts (Most recipes call for pine nuts, which is a good option, but I used 1/4 cup of almonds and 1/4 cup of walnuts.)

1/2 tsp black pepper (more or less up to personal preference)

1/2 tsp salt (more or less up to personal preference)

10 – 12 cloves of garlic (about 1/4 cup minced)

2 oz fresh basil (about 8 stalks of basil)

3/4 cup of oil (I used about 1/2 cup avocado oil and a tad less than 1/4 cup of sesame oil. Olive oil is another good option.)

1/8 tsp oregano

1/4 lemon

cheese (optional, and up to personal preference. Parmesan, mild cheddar, jack cheese are all good cheese options)

Using raw garlic makes the recipe more spicy. I made it with raw garlic for my first attempt and Kai loved it! I mixed a small scoop of pesto with some noodles for Elsie and surprisingly she also really enjoyed it. I thought it was a little too spicy, but perhaps half the amount of raw garlic (about 5-6 cloves of raw garlic mixed with 5-6 cloves of cooked garlic) would be just perfect for me. Making the pesto this way does taste really fresh though! If you like more of a kick to your pesto I would recommend making it this way.

The second time (2nd version), I poured the oil and garlic in a small pot to cook for 1 minute on low heat before adding the mixture with the rest of the ingredients in the blender. I also crushed the garlic with the bottom of a cup to bring out some of the garlic flavor before heating it up with the oil. Boiling the oil and garlic together cuts down some of the spicy and raw flavor.

I like this pesto recipe because it’s so easy and has so much room for adjustment to each individual’s liking. Kai tried adding 1 large clove of raw garlic and blended it with the 2nd version I made, and he happily enjoyed it this way! It was a nice combination of the cooked and raw garlic flavors.

Bottom line is basically – throw all ingredients together and blend well before serving – 1/4 cup of almonds and 1/4 cup of walnuts, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 10 – 12 cloves of garlic (about 1/4 cup minced), 2oz fresh basil (about 8 stalks – cut the brown ends of the stalks before blending), 1/2 cup avocado oil and a tad less than 1/4 cup of sesame oil, 1/8 tsp oregano, and squeeze 1/4 lemon into mix.

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It’s done! Serve with some grated cheese if you’d like (Parmesan, mild cheddar, jack cheese are all good cheese options). The pesto goes well with noodles, in sandwiches, or even as a side for meat and veggies!

This recipe is a great addition to meal prepping. Since Elise loves this pesto version, we have been incorporating it with our meals at least once or twice a week. Sometimes children can be the harshest food critics, and this one goes on the list of Elsie’s favorites. I hope this recipe was enjoyable for you as well! =)