The aroma of fresh basil is simply divine. Fresh, fragrant, and peppery it lends a whole wallop of flavor when used in a pesto. This basil pesto recipe gives the perfect ratio of ingredients to make a creamy, nutty sauce that is flavorful and useful in a huge range of other recipes.

The word pesto originally coming from the Italian verb meaning ‘to pound’ or ‘to crush’. This refers to the original method of making pesto, using a mortar and pestle to crush things together. Basically, you need to break open the basil to release the full flavor of the herb. Then get it to combine with the nuts, garlic, and oil to make a smooth sauce.

I love pairing this pesto with some fresh pasta and shrimp. Just cook the shrimp with a little olive oil and two spoonfuls of the pesto and use that to top the pasta. Then mix the entire thing with more pesto for full herb flavor.

Use this basil pesto recipe to make one of the most popular dishes on this site – the pesto pizza pasta salad. I think a lot of its popularity comes from the alliteration in the name. But I also like to think it is because of how delicious the recipe is. And it uses pesto as a base. So read on for the recipe.

Simple Steps for Basil Pesto

The easiest way to make this basil pesto recipe is to use a food processor or blender. You can go all traditional and use a mortar and pestle if you’d like. But that just seems like too much effort for little reward. A pestle-made pesto will be chunkier than the super-smooth results from a food processor. A food processor is better simply because it is usually a much shallower bowl and you can get the pesto out easier. This isn’t a runny sauce, so it won’t pour out of the blender well.

With the food processor, you mostly just have to toss things in and pulse it until smooth. Just break it up into a few separate pulses to make it the best it can be. You honestly could probably toss it all into the food processor at the same time and give it a whirl. But it is better to at least add the olive oil later as a sort of emulsion while the processor is running.

The first pulse includes basil, pine nuts, and garlic together in the blender or food processor. Then add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and blitz it again. This gives the base of the sauce and includes everything but the olive oil. You’ll get the best consistency out of your pesto by adding the olive oil in a drizzle while running the machine. Just slowly pour it in through the opening in the top.

There you have it, pesto ready to go.

Variations on the Basil Pesto Recipe

The greens don’t necessarily have to be basil, or 100% basil. Add some spinach into the mix, use some arugula, or toss in parsley. Technically any greens would really work in a pesto. But you have to consider the flavor that it will add. Go crazy and try a beet green or mint pesto.

Same thing goes for pine nuts. Especially since pine nuts can be quite pricey (though buying a bulk bag from Amazon or Costco helps out). Walnuts or almonds are most commonly substituted for pine nuts. The nuts don’t seem to make quite as big a difference as the greens in the final flavor of the dish. But, roasting the nuts can give a whole different depth to the final pesto.

Add some lemon juice to the mix at the same time as the parmesan cheese for a little acidic flavor and as a kind of preservative for the bright green color. I’ve had a few batches of homemade pesto quickly turn brown. So another way to preserve that color is to blanch the basil.

Prep a large bowl with ice water. Start boiling a pot of water. Put all the basil or greens you are using into a metal sieve or colander. Dunk the colander into the hot water for about 15 seconds so that all the basil is covered. Immediately remove the basil from the hot water and dunk it into the ice water so that it stops cooking. Then drain and dry the basil and use as directed in the recipe.

What to Pair with Pesto

The first and most obvious pairing for pesto is pasta. It is a match made in heaven. The pesto will cling to the pasta and flavor every nook and cranny. You can even try your hand at making homemade pasta. The fresh, delicate texture of homemade pasta works well with this bright, peppery sauce. Tortellini, gnocchi, elbows, Combine the prepared pesto with a bit of milk, cream, and/or half and half in a saucepan over medium heat to make a pesto cream sauce to toss over pasta.

Pesto also goes great as a spread when making sandwiches. On grilled cheese, a pesto chicken sandwich, or a steak sandwich. Even just spreading it out on some toast. Try splitting a loaf of french bread, spreading some pesto on it, topping it with cheese, and popping it under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

And you can’t forget about pizza. Use pesto as a pizza sauce and top it with your favorite toppings. Pine nuts, chicken, mozzarella, parmesan. Mmmm.

This basil pesto recipe can be used in countless dishes. Store it in the fridge, freeze it, or (most likely) use it immediately after preparing it.

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How to Make Basil Pine Nut Pesto

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

10

minutes

Fresh, fragrant, and peppery basil lends a wallop of flavor in this basil pesto recipe with the perfect ratio to make a creamy, nutty sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups basil, packed

• 4 cloves garlic

• 3/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

• Put the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in the food processor or blender and pulse on high until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes
• Add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined, 1 minute
• Start pulsing the blender and slowly pour in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth
• Scoop the pesto out of the food processor and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer

Notes

• Pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month
• If storing the pesto for later use, pour olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it fresh

The post How to Make Basil Pine Nut Pesto appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Growing up, I did not really like pasta salad. I think it is mostly because I didn’t realize there was variety to it. In my mind, I pictured some bland pasta with black olives (bleh) and hardly any other fixings. Not so with this loaded pesto pasta salad recipe. Plus, I am a fan of alliteration so a pesto pizza pasta salad with pine nuts, pepperoni, and parmesan is just too good to pass up.

This pasta salad packs a punch of flavor. It is super easy to make and comes together in 20 minutes or less. Basically, cook the pasta, get all the ingredients out, and toss it all together until mixed. It is that simple. And you have a full side salad – or double the recipe and serve it as the main dish.

Inspired by pesto pizzas I have had in the past, this takes all of those great ingredients and tosses them with pasta. I haven’t yet made a pesto pizza recipe, but I do have a delicious white pizza recipe you can give a try if you crave pizza and not pasta.

The best part is there is no need for exactness. It is easily adaptable to your own needs or preferences. Cook as much pasta as you want. Add more or less of different ingredients. Include new ingredients in your own pasta salad, or even swap things out for other options entirely. I have a few options in the following section.

Options for Pesto Pasta Salad

Pesto – Though there are 10 ingredients in this recipe, I think the one that everything most hinges on is the pesto. A pesto pizza pasta salad can’t be good if the pesto is bad. You can make your own pesto. Which I love doing. But typically I make a basil-based pesto and it takes a lot of fresh basil. So I usually don’t do that until we’re in the full summer harvest with loads of basil available from the garden. But you can make pesto with different greens or with different nuts. Experiment and tell me how it goes!

There are also a lot of great store-bought options for pesto. Those won’t be quite as fresh, but can still be delicious. Especially paired with every other mix-in.

Pasta – A lot of other pasta shapes can be used. But it is important to think of how they will grab onto the pesto. Shapes with little nooks and crannies are helpful so that you don’t just have a bunch of pesto sitting in the bottom of the bowl. Bowties are another common pasta shape for pasta salads.

Cheeses – Fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese are classic on pizza. However, you can add your favorite cheese to the mix.

Pine Nuts – I paired pine nuts with this recipe because they are the most common nut used in making pesto. But other options could work in this recipe like chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds.

You can also add in other ingredients like a squirt of fresh lemon juice, a cup of arugula, or sliced cherry tomatoes. Sub the pepperoni with salami or a different protein. As always, feel free to make it your own.

Pesto Pizza Pasta Salad Recipe

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Salads, SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

A pesto pizza inspired pasta salad that is loaded with mozzarella, pepperoni, and pine nuts

Ingredients

• 3 cups dried rotini pasta

• 1 cup prepared pesto

• 3/4 cup small pepperoni

• 1/2 cup pine nuts

• 3/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls or cubed mozzarella

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 8 large basil leaves

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions
• Chiffonade the basil leaves, cutting them into thin strips
• Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
• Stir everything together until thoroughly mixed

The post Pesto Pizza Pasta Salad Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

As far as I can remember, this oven-roasted asparagus recipe came about when we went to the pantry and fridge to make some food. We didn’t necessarily have a plan. Stand and look at the pantry for 5 minutes. Stand with the fridge door open for 5 minutes. Repeat until food ideas come.

Or sometimes just decide to get something out.

But not on that fateful day. I’m pretty sure I saw asparagus and lemons and realized they were both the most perishable items left. Better use them before they go bad. That’s how a lot of my food ideas happen. Because I don’t always shop with a specific meal plan in mind…

So I laid them out on the counter and tried to think of how they might go together. Parmesan and pine nuts made the cut. And after a quick mix, it went into the oven for a good roasting.

Pretty good for a quick side dish.

Lots of Options

Thin or thick asparagus. Whole or chopped. Grilled, roasted, blanched, or sautéed.

As you can tell from the title of this recipe, I decided to roast this asparagus. It is a very easy method and quite hands-off. Just check it every once in a while and take it out before it gets too soft.

And because I was roasting, I decided on thinner asparagus. In my opinion, thicker asparagus is better when grilling. It can stand up to those direct flames and get a nice char without overcooking inside.

I also don’t think I have ever chopped the asparagus either. I like it whole. Though I could see 2 to 3-inch lengths of asparagus being much easier to sauté and blanch.

The pine nuts are optional for this recipe. I think they add a great texture and creamy contrast to the asparagus. But I also recognize that they are way too expensive. So you can leave them off or try substituting them for a different kind of nut. Let me know if you find one that you think works better.

Just do whatever feels right for you.

To help keep the asparagus fresh, you can slice off about 1/4 inch from the bottom and place them in water. Just like you would with fresh cut flowers. They will suck that water up and stay crisp in time for your meal. If you are using asparagus within a couple of days of shopping, then it is not really necessary.

Prep Work for Oven Roasted Asparagus

Though it is a very hands-off method, the asparagus will still need a little preparation.

First off, nobody likes the woody, chewy, bottom stems of the asparagus. So chop off about an inch or so from the base. Do not skip this step. Or all you will remember about this side dish is the stringy, non-chewable end of the asparagus that ruined your meal. Note – these trimmings are great for compost if you have one.

And for mixing everything together you have some options. You can mix it in a separate bowl as I suggest in the recipe. Or you can cut out a dish and mix it all together right on the baking sheet. It is a little more difficult to get things evenly mixed. And it can sometimes get a little messy.

But it makes for one less dish to clean later. Which I am all about.

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SidesDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

Super-easy method to oven-roast asparagus as a savory side

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Remove the woody ends of the asparagus by trimming about an inch off of the base
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until the asparagus is thoroughly coated
• Evenly spread the asparagus out onto a baking sheet
• Put the asparagus in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly charred and tender, but not mushy

The post Oven Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I’m dreaming of a white pizza, cause it already seems like it will probably be a white Christmas here. And pizza tastes better than snow. Unless maybe you’re at Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice.

Anyways, while working on the post for how to caramelize onions, I remembered this pizza. I was coming up with recipes that would use the caramelized onions and had the eureka moment. And it had been a very long time since I had made the pizza. Which is unacceptable with how delicious it is. So now I bring you this delicious combination of dough, sauce, and toppings.

The first incarnation of this recipe comes from my mom many years ago. While on a trip to Utah to see family she had a white pizza at The Pizza Factory. She loved it. But once she was back home, she wanted to recreate it. So she got to work and made her own version from how it was in her head.

And then it got interpreted again. Because this here is not exactly her recipe. It is my take on what she did. I loved the white pizza and hadn’t really had a non-red sauce pizza before she made it at home. It was a whole new world that I decided to dive into.

White Pizza Toppings

You can really customize this however you’d like. A lot of things taste great on a white pizza. This can make it really great for having people over because you can have everything ready to go and just let people choose their own toppings. But this combination below goes extremely well together.

• Cheese – The cheese obviously makes the pizza. This one uses a combination of fresh mozzarella, a block of mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Using too much of the thick slices of fresh mozzarella seems to overload the pizza. But I like cheese everywhere so I shred a block of mozzarella to sprinkle over top and in between. Then the shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano is a finishing touch on top.
• White Garlic sauce – For this, you essentially make a garlic béchamel sauce using a roux with some garlic and parmesan added for flavor.
• Chicken – Cooked and chopped beforehand, I prefer to use some marinated and grilled chicken but had to improvise for this one since I didn’t want to go out and grill in below freezing temps. So I used a grill pan on the stovetop. You can use whatever chicken you’d like – rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another recipe could work here.
• Bacon – Salty. Fatty. Cooked crisp and crunchy. I crumble the slices of bacon once they are cooked to sprinkle over the pizza.
• Caramelized onion – The inspiration for posting this recipe came when I was making caramelized onions. These lend a complex mix of savory and pop of sweetness to the recipe that helps balance some of the other toppings.
• Spinach – Wilted in a bit of olive oil, this lends some greens to the pizza and another texture to the mix.
• Pine nuts – These take on a toasted quality that brings out their crunch and buttery flavor when cooked on the pizza

Assembly and Baking

To put the pizza together, I find it helpful to set all the toppings out in bowls around where I will roll out the pizza dough. You can kind of see this in the photo above. Then after rolling and pre-baking, it is easy to grab a little of each and sprinkle it around to top it just how you like.

Below is a little before and after photo comparison slider for what the pizza looks like before and after baking.

To bake, you want your oven as hot as it will go. With my last oven, it was only 500°F, and I don’t think that it actually got that hot inside. While testing this recipe in the new house, I realized this oven went to 550°F (290°C) and it seems to actually reach those temperatures. The new one is also gas which likely affected how it cooked for me. But the dough came out perfectly crispy with a nice crunch as I rolled my pizza wheel through to cut slices.

For this recipe, I tried flipping the pizza crust after the initial 2 to 3-minute pre-bake and then putting the toppings on the side that was originally the bottom. This really helped the crust fully cook and crisp, even with the fresh mozzarella that tends to put out a lot of moisture while cooking.

Things will tend to get messy and you may feel like a flour monster attacked you and your kitchen, but it is fairly easy to clean up. Maybe you are neater than my sous chef and I are when in the kitchen. A damp rag or paper towel is usually enough to wipe things down. And, of course, it is much easier to clean up after having eaten some delicious homemade pizza.

Chicken Bacon White Pizza

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: EntreesDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, and a deeply garlic sauce make this pizza stand out from the norm.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough for three 12-inch pizzas (this Serious Eats recipe is my go-to and gets the perfect amount, but it takes 24 hours to rest in the fridge, so prepare ahead)

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

• Pizza Toppings

• 24 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced about 1/4″ thick

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or about two cups chopped rotisseries chicken)

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 1/2 cup caramelized onions

• 2 handfuls of spinach, sautéed in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes

• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 6 large basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade or long, thin strips

Directions

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce
• Add garlic, butter, and olive oil to a sauce pan over medium heat
• Stir to melt the butter and sauté the garlic for 2 to 4 minutes until garlic is fragrant
• Mix in the flour to combine and stir while cooking for 3 minutes
• Whisk in milk, heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano until fully combined
• Heat the sauce until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
• Remove from heat
• Pizza Assembly
• Preheat the oven to 550°F (290°C)
• Prepare all pizza toppings and have them easily accessible for putting on the pizzas
• Take a portion of dough for one pizza and roll it out on a floured surface to 12 inches in diameter
• Place the dough on a pan or pizza stone in the oven and cook 2 to 3 minutes until no longer doughy
• Remove from oven and flip the pizza crust over
• Top with fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pine nuts – but do not overload the crust
• Put the topped pizza back in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sliced basil, and let cool
• Repeat steps 3-8 for remaining dough and toppings
• Slice and enjoy

Notes

• To reheat any leftovers (if that ever were to happen), just preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and put the slices in for 5 to 7 minutes until the bottom is hot and you hear everything sizzling

The post White Pizza with Chicken and Bacon appeared first on Do You Roux?.