5 Ingredient Homemade Pesto Plus 15 Pesto Recipes

Super Easy 5 Ingredient Homemade Pesto Plus 15 Pesto Recipes! This Homemade Basil Pesto takes only 5 minutes to make and is so much better than store-bought!

Homemade Pesto

What do you do when you have an abundance of basil in your garden? You make pesto! Pesto is super easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or time and is a great way to use up extra  basil.

5 ingredients, 5 minutes of prep time and super easy to make.

Making your own pesto at home tastes so much better and can be customized to your taste. You can always add more oil for a thinner pesto or make it thick and chunky with less. If the basil flavor is too strong for your taste substitute spinach leaves. You can also substitute any herbs of nuts you have on hand. I love making pesto with walnuts and pecans.

Use it in on pasta, sandwiches, eggs or as a dip for crusty bread. Anyway you use it it’s amazing.

Mix it up a bit and try substituting some of the ingredients below.

Variations

• Herbs & Greens: Mint, Parsley, Arugula, Spinach, Kale, Broccoli
• Nuts: Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds
• Other: Lemon juice, Walnut Oil, Sun Dried Tomatoes

How to store Pesto

Store your pesto in a tightly sealed container. To help extend the life of the pesto cover the top with plastic wrap making sure to touch the top of the pesto so air dosen’t get in. Another trick is to add a thin layer of oil to the top of the pesto to also help keep the air out. Pesto stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Here are 15 delicious recipes using Pesto!

1. Caprese Crostini with Blistered Tomatoes and Smoked Mozzarella

2. Rich and Creamy Pesto Risotto

3. Walnut Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Wilted Greens

4. Pesto Chicken Sandwiches – Creme de la Crumb

5. Lemon Kale Pesto Roasted Fingerling Potatoes – Whole and Heavenly

6. Baked Frittata with Roasted Red Peppers, Arugula and Pesto – Gimme Some Oven

7. Pesto Pasta – Foodie Crush

8. Chicken Pesto Sandwich – Damn Delicious

9. 15 Minute Spicy Shrimp with Pesto Noodles – Pinch of Yum

10. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta – Minimalist Baker

11. Spinach Artichoke Pesto Tortellini Soup – Two Peas & Their Pod

12. Spicy Baked Caprese Pasta – Little Spice Jar

13. Pesto Chicken Pizza – Creme de la Crumb

14. Roasted Pesto Bacon Potatoes – Carlsbad Cravings

15. Moroccan Roasted Garlic Pesto and Cashew Pizza – Half Baked Harvest