Homemade Basil Pesto

I really love the flavor of pesto.  It's strong, so I don't eat a lot of it or very often, but I do enjoy it.  You can use pesto over pasta, as a base for pizza, on sandwiches or I have a surprise way to use it in a blog post coming soon!

Here's what you'll need:

4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried off

1 Tbsp minced garlic, as you can see I have a mixture of cloves, minced they equal 1 Tbsp

1 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt

black pepper

Roughly chop the basil and mince the garlic.

Toast the pine nuts until they are a light golden brown.

Put everything minus the parmesan cheese into a food processor, including the olive oil , and process for a couple of minutes to combine.

It's swirlin'!

Now is the time to add the yummy parmesan cheese and then process once more to combine.

This is the consistency that you will have.

Pour it into a container if you will be using the same day.  Take note of the thin layer of oil on top, this is totally fine and actually helps the pesto keep its great color.  This recipe makes 2 cups of pesto.

If you will not be using the pesto the same day you may pour it into icecube trays and freeze for future use.