I also made Basil and Lemon Pesto after seeing it on TV, in magazines, and on many blogs. I was quite curious and tried it, changing some things here and there, or rather removing some things that I think don’t go with lemon, and so this Basil and Lemon Pesto was born.
Very fresh, without grated cheese and garlic, Basil and Lemon Pesto is perfect for dressing any kind of pasta, hot or cold, but not only that; we tried it by adding it to grilled chicken slices and it’s truly delightful.
It keeps in the fridge well sealed in an airtight container and covered on the surface with extra virgin olive oil for at least 1 week, so prepare it and offer it to your guests.
If you like making pesto at home, below I leave you some other ideas with seasonal vegetables to try, and then right after the photo, we’ll discover how to prepare Lemon Pesto!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Basil and Lemon Pesto
- 2 cups basil
- 2 tbsp lemon (zest only)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
Tools
- 1 Immersion Blender
- 1 Peeler
Preparation of Basil and Lemon Pesto
Preparing Basil and Lemon Pesto is very simple. First, wash the basil leaves very well without damaging them and pat them dry with paper towels.
Then wash the lemon, remembering that you should use organic ones since only the peel is used.
Peel the lemon with a peeler, taking care to only get the yellow part.
Roughly chop the freshly peeled lemon zest and place it in the glass of the immersion blender or a food processor with blades and blend.
When the lemon is reduced to pieces, add the pine nuts and half of the basil leaves and pulse intermittently so as not to heat the blades.
If the blades heat up, they will darken the basil leaves.
Gradually add the remaining basil leaves and very sparingly the extra virgin olive oil, which I used very little of.
I give you the indicative doses, which I halved since the lemon releases some liquid when blended, otherwise you risk the pesto being too liquid.
Finally, add the salt and check the consistency of the basil and lemon pesto.
We really like it coarse, but if you prefer it nice and creamy, just blend it a little longer.
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How to Store Basil and Lemon Pesto
You can store it in the refrigerator inside a glass jar with an airtight seal for 5 or 6 days.
Other Recipes
If you want to see other types of recipes, you can go back to HOME.
FAQ
What can I substitute for pine nuts?
You can substitute pine nuts with walnuts or cashews.
Can I add pecorino or parmesan?
If you really want to, there’s no problem, but grated cheese would cover the lemon’s freshness.
