Garden Pesto

Bright, Fresh, and Bursting with Flavor: Your Summer Garden Pesto

There’s nothing quite like the taste of summer captured in a single spoonful of homemade pesto, made with the freshest herbs from your garden. This vibrant, fragrant sauce is the perfect way to celebrate the season’s bounty, whether you’re tossing it with pasta, spreading it on toast, or drizzling it over grilled vegetables. Unlike store-bought versions laden with preservatives, this recipe lets the natural flavors of basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan shine.

The best part? You can customize it endlessly—swap in arugula for peppery depth, add sun-dried tomatoes for a tangy twist, or blend in spinach for extra greens. Plus, making pesto in bulk and freezing it means you can enjoy a taste of summer’s sunshine even on the coldest winter days. Ready to bring the garden to your table? Let’s get blending! Who doesn’t love Pesto?! It just screams Summer with its fresh basil aroma. It’s truly one of my favorite herbs to keep on hand all season long. I’ll be growing lots and lots of it this summer to put on fresh mozzarella, sandwiches, and to keep my pantry stocked with homemade pesto to enjoy later in the winter months! I’m trying to be more proactive on my canning game this year too. When most crops start blooming all at once, it’s a great way to use some of the abundance when possible for recipes that can sit on your shelf for when growing season is over.

This pesto recipe is especially special because of the basil I’m using. “Genovese” basil is an heirloom variety originating in Genoa, Italy (also known as the basil capital of the world) and has been grown for hundreds of years. Its history is rooted in Liguria, the coastal region around Genoa. I’m lucky to have had the pleasure of visiting this area and trying their local pesto firsthand! Making this recipe takes me back to that dreamy place. I love how food and smells can do that. While typically grown in the Mediterranean, which is the opposite of the Southwest climate, it surprisingly always does well for me here. So long as it’s got some shade during the heat of the day!

If you're growing your own basil at home, a tip is to cut the first few flowers from the top to keep the plant bushy rather than tall. This will help prevent early onset of flowering so you’ll be able to get more out of your season and have more harvests all summer long. While traditional pesto uses Parmesan cheese and basil, I’ve found you can make it vegan and can actually add just about anything to your pesto- including arugula, spinach, parsley, or kale. I’ll have both recipes for you to try listed below. You’ll want to save this one to remake all summer long!

TRADITIONAL PESTO

Ingredients:

2-3 cups packed basil leaves (or a mix of basil, parsley, kale, spinach, arugula)

1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup olive oil, or sunflower oil

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, or Nutritional yeast

kosher salt, black pepper.

Blend it all together using a Vitamix or food processor and enjoy!

Like and save this for later!

VEGAN PESTO

Ingredients

  • ½ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts or any nut really

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1-2 garlic cloves

  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

  • Fresh ground pepper

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, kale, spinach, parsley or a blend of the above

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil for a smoother pesto

  • 1/2 cup of Nutritional yeast, vegan Parmesan

  • Blend it all together using a Vitamix or food processor and enjoy!

    You’ll be making this recipe all year long because it's so simple and easy! Make sure you like and save this for later!

You’ll definitely want to hang on to this one! It’s a great way to not only use your fresh basil, but you can actually add just about anything to your pesto- including arugula, spinach, parsley, or kale. You can even make pesto without basil too!

Sara .Comment