When summer arrives, due to the heat, the desire to turn on the stove decreases, even for a simple pasta sauce! Lemon, parsley, and basil pesto meets this need. As a pesto lover, I appreciate their versatility even more in summer because they are perfect for pasta, canapés, but also for dressing a vegetable or rice salad. The process is very easy; I used the Thermomix, but it can be done with any food processor. The result will be a pesto with a special aroma that tastes like summer!
If you love pestos like me, I recommend checking out these recipes here:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Spring, Summer
Ingredients for Lemon, Parsley, and Basil Pesto
Being a pesto made with all raw ingredients, it is necessary that they are of the best quality and possibly organic. The lemons especially must have edible peel. I used Sorrento IGP lemons, which gave a spectacular aroma to my pesto.
- 1.76 oz lemon (edible peels)
- 6.76 oz lemon (filtered juice)
- 0.28 oz garlic
- 0.53 oz basil
- 0.88 oz parsley
- 3.53 oz pine nuts
- 1.76 oz cashews
- 5.29 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 0.18 oz salt
- 1.76 oz extra virgin olive oil
Tools to Make Lemon, Parsley, and Basil Pesto
To make lemon, parsley, and basil pesto, I used my trusty Thermomix TM31. Of course, you can use any other Thermomix models, or even regular food processors, as long as they are powerful enough.
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Jars
Let’s Make Lemon, Parsley, and Basil Pesto
With a paring knife, obtain 50 g of peels from the lemons previously washed and dried. Be careful to remove as much of the white part as possible, otherwise, it would give the lemon, parsley, and basil pesto a slightly bitter note.
After peeling and chopping the garlic, place it in the bowl along with the lemon peels.
Close with the lid and chop at speed 6 for 20 seconds.
After gently cleaning the basil leaves with a damp cloth, weigh them with the parsley. Here the proportion can vary (also depending on what we have at home) while staying within the total weight.
Add parsley and basil to the bowl and chop at speed 6 for 15 seconds.
Place the nuts in the bowl: in my case, pine nuts and cashews, but also walnuts (if there are no allergies), peeled almonds, or pistachios.
Add the grated Parmesan Reggiano.
Close the bowl and chop at speed 6/7 for 20 seconds.
After filtering the lemon juice, add it to the bowl and mix at speed 5 for 15 seconds.
Add the salt, close the bowl, and activate at medium speed. In the case of the Thermomix, speed 4/5.
Through the bowl’s opening, add the oil in a thin stream with the motor running, to emulsify the lemon, parsley, and basil pesto.
Once ready, transfer it into jars or freezer containers. This dose makes two 250 ml jars of lemon, parsley, and basil pesto. I suggest letting it rest for a few hours before using it, so the flavors can meld better.
How to Store Lemon, Parsley, and Basil Pesto
Lemon, parsley, and basil pesto can be stored in the fridge, making sure to cover the mixture with a layer of oil, for two or three days. For longer preservation, you need to sterilize the jars and then proceed normally as with any other sauce. An alternative is to store it in portions in the freezer… and that’s what I did! What would you use this pesto for? Come tell me on Instagram!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use other nuts?
Sure! I’ve made it with just almonds and pine nuts before. I think it would also be good with walnuts, but I’ll never know because my family is allergic!
