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pesto without pine nuts in small blue bowl

Pesto without Pine Nuts (Quick & Easy)

Audrey Sommer
Pesto without pine nuts is a great pesto alternative for when you don't have pine nuts on hand, don't want to buy expensive nuts, or you're just trying to use what's left in your kitchen. Full of fresh and peppery flavor, this pesto is perfect paired with pastas, soups, salads, and bakes.
5 from 27 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 372 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor
  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Chef's knife
  • 1 Colander
  • 1 Micro-plane grater or regular grater
  • 1 lemon squeezer optional

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups fresh basil leaves packed
  • 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp. lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
  • ¼ cup parmesan grated
  • ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Start making the pesto by separating the basil leaves from the stems. Discard the stems. Wash and dry the leaves.
  • Put the basil, garlic cloves, lemon juice, parmesan, walnuts, salt, and pepper into a food processor and blend together. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides. Slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube of the food processor. Or you can stop the food processor, remove the lid, and drizzle in the olive oil.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Store the pesto in the fridge. Pour it into a container and cover it with a layer of olive oil on top to help it last longer.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts
Pesto without Pine Nuts (Quick & Easy)
Serving Size
 
4 people
Amount per Serving
Calories
372
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
38
g
58
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
10
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
22
g
Cholesterol
 
4
mg
1
%
Sodium
 
341
mg
15
%
Potassium
 
170
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
5
g
2
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
 
1322
IU
26
%
Vitamin C
 
10
mg
12
%
Calcium
 
139
mg
14
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Calories
372
Serving Size
 
4 people
Nutrition Facts

These values were taken from a nutrition calculator.

Keyword Dip, easy, Homemade Marinara Sauce, pesto, pesto without pine nuts, quick
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