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PESTO SAUCE WITHOUT NUTS

October 28, 2014 By Homa

 

Pesto Sauce Without Nuts
Every year late summer, early fall. when the temperatures start to dip below 40 F, I harvest all of my basil plants. The delicate basil leaves are very sensitive to cold, 35 F to be exact. If Mother Nature plays tricks on you and the temperature suddenly falls overnight the leaves turn black and are unusable. So as a yearly ritual I dry some of the basil leaves and make Pesto Sauce with the rest.  Pesto sauce adds incredible flavor to variety of dishes, such as Pesto Shrimp, Pesto Chicken, or simply used as a spread in sandwiches, to name a few.basil leaves and garlic are processed
Homemade Pesto is very easy to prepare with only a few ingredients, and it tastes so much better than store bought.   You do need a food processor to make this versatile sauce.  I like to make pesto in large amounts and freeze it in small individual baggies.  When I need it I defrost the baggies at room temperature and use it in my recipes when I need it. It is wonderful to have homemade pesto all winter. I don’t use pine nuts or any other kind of nuts. I really think it tastes amazing without it. Plus, I don’t have to worry about the family members and friends with nut allergies.  

processed basil and garlic
Process until uniformly choppedParmesan cheese is added to the food processor
Add grated Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper and processbasil, garlic and Parmesan cheese are processed until well blended
Until smootholive oil is added in slow stream through the feeding shoot
Drizzle olive oil through the feed chute with the processor runningthe olive oil brings the pesto sauce together
This beautiful sauce took only a few minutes to prepare!add 4-5 ounces of pesto sauce to small baggies
To freeze, scoop the sauce into small zipped baggies and measure 4 ouncesgently press and level the pesto inside the baggie
Gently flatten the content with your fingertipsstore the small baggies inside a large freezer bag
Put the baggies in a freezer bag and store
Pesto Sauce Without Nuts
I have a feeling that once you taste this delicious homemade Pesto Sauce without nuts, you will never go back to the store bought variety!

 

PESTO SAUCE WITHOUT NUTS
 
Print
Yield: About 12 ounces
Author: Homa
Recipe type: Sauce/Spread
Ingredients
  • 5 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
  • ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
  1. Remove all the tough stems. Rinse the leaves under cold water in a colander. Drain all the water, then pat dry the leaves with a paper towel.
  2. Add the basil leaves and garlic to the food processor. Process for 2 minutes, turn off the processor and scrape sides down once.
  3. Add Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper. Process for another minute.
  4. With the food processor running add the olive oil through the processor chute gradually and process until smooth.
Notes
To freeze pesto sauce scoop about 4 ounces into small zipped snack bags and flatten with your fingertips. Place the small bags in a quart-size freezer bag and store in the freezer for 4-6 months. When ready to use leave the entire bag out, or break off as much as you need, and thaw in room temperature for 30 minutes and then use the same as fresh pesto.
3.2.2925

 

Filed Under: Appetizers, Pesto Sauce, Quick & Easy, Recipe, Sandwiches, Sauces, Vegetarian Tagged With: fresh basil, garlic, homemade is better, Italian Food, no pine nuts, olive oil, pesto pasta, sandwich spread

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Comments

  1. Doris says

    October 12, 2017 at 3:38 am

    I would like to know one you freeze it how much do you put in a meal?

    When making it using Parmesan cheese is that fresh or already grated?

    • Homa says

      October 12, 2017 at 8:51 am

      Hi Doris; I freeze about 4-5 ounces of pesto per baggie and use all of it in most meals, but you could also break off as much as you need. I defrost the baggie at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and use it for instance with: 10 ounces of dried pasta (cooked), or 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (cubed).
      Here are some recipes:
      https://persianmama.com/pesto-shrimp-linguine/
      https://persianmama.com/pesto-chicken-baby-bella-pasta/
      I use the already grated Parmesan cheese.

Homa

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