"Fit Pesto"
Pesto is the ultimate summer sauce that originated in Genoa, which is located in the northern Liguria region of Italy. Since my family is from the north, I saw pesto as a vibrant pairing with pasta quite often. Traditional pesto is made of fresh basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, crushed garlic, and pine nuts. Although it’s most commonly used as a sauce for pasta, pesto can be used for so much more. There are endless ways to dress up a recipe with pesto. This simple, no cooking involved sauce tastes best when it’s made from scratch.
Here’s my favorite lighter version of pesto for you to try with pasta, zucchini noodles, on pizza, as a dip, spread on meat, fish, or vegetables, as a salad dressing & more!
ProTip: Freeze pesto in an ice cube tray and then place the pesto cubes into sealable plastic bags. Whenever you want a burst of summer basil flavor, just toss a cube or two into the hot dish; or defrost and spread onto sandwiches. *Be sure to drizzle a layer of olive oil on top of pesto filled ice cube tray before freezing them. This will help to maintain its bright green hue when it becomes unfrozen.
Yield: 1 Cup
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 large ripe avocado
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons water, plus more if necessary
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
sea salt, to taste
PREPARATION:
Add basil, avocado, garlic, pine nuts* and lemon juice to a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are chopped. Add in water and pulse again until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks on green. You may need to add more water to get it to your desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
*You can use walnuts or omit the pine nuts all together, but traditionally pine nuts are used in the Liguria region. Buon appetito!
RELATED RECIPE TO CHECK OUT: Zucchini “Papardelle” with “Fit Pesto”
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