How to Make a Nut Free Basil Pesto
This Nut Free Pesto is the perfect condiment to brighten up any dish. It’s also a great way to use up the overabundance of basil at the end of the season to put up for winter!
Nut Free Pesto Recipe
Everyone loves a good pesto recipe! But not everybody can have nuts and most pesto recipes call for them. So we whipped up a bright and flavorful basil pesto that doesn’t use pine nuts so that everyone get can enjoy it. This pesto recipe also sneaks in some healthy greens by using a combination of basil and kale.
Basil pesto is great for nearly any dish. And it’s simple to put together and a great way to use up an overabundance of herbs. It also freezes well so make a bunch now while it’s abundant and you can use fresh pesto in your dishes all summer long!
Nut Free Pesto Ingredients
- Basil
- Baby Kale
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt
- Olive oil
How to Clean Herbs
Herbs can be very dirty and gritty, whether coming from the supermarket or the farmer’s market. The best way to clean herbs is to fill up a big bowl with clean, cool water. Dunk the herbs in the water, letting all the dirt and grit sink to the bottom. Empty the water, fill it back up and repeat until no sand or dirt remains at the bottom of the bowl.
Ways to Use Pesto
This bright pesto would be great with so many dishes! It is great with both chicken, turkey or even pork. You can use pesto in pasta dishes, rice dishes, in a salad, as a dip or spread and served over a grilled meat or veggies.
Check out these recipes using pesto:
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables
- Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
- Creamy Pesto Chicken “Pasta”
- Crock-Pot Pesto Chicken Salad
How to Freeze Pesto
Pesto freezes really well. You can freeze it in small jars for single serve portions. Small mason jars work well for this.
How to Prevent it from Turning Brown
Pesto turns brown when the fresh herbs oxidize by coming into prolonged contact with oxygen. It isn’t harmful to eat brown pesto, but it can have an off taste and it looks unpleasant. To prevent browning you can float some olive oil over the top of pesto in the container. Make sure to cover the pesto entirely. This creates an airtight seal and will prevent the pesto from turning brown immediately.
You can freeze for up to 3 months. The longer you freeze fresh herbs, the less potent they become. To defrost leave in the refrigerator overnight.
If you like this herb recipe, check out these others:
- How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the Freezer
- How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the Freezer
- Fresh Mint Tea
- Easy Cucumber Salad with Lots of Herbs!
Nut Free Basil Pesto Recipe
This Nut Free Pesto is the perfect condiment to brighten up any dish. It's also a great way to use up the overabundance of basil at the end of the season to put up for winter!
Ingredients
Directions
- Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor or a high speed blender. Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. If needed you can add in a tablespoon of hot water as needed to make a smooth pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Use immediately or store for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container.
Recipe Notes
- You can replace the kale with equal portions basil for a basil only pesto.
Nutrition
How to Make a Nut Free Basil Pesto
This bright Pistachio Mint Pesto is a unique twist on the classic to use up all of that abundant summer mint! It’s made with pistachio, mint and dill and is so bright and refreshing. It’s perfect for grilled meat or veggies and comes together quickly to add a nice punch of flavor to any dish!
Fresh Mint Pesto Recipe
A well made pesto is like a flavor bomb. Adding this Mint Pesto to any dish will brighten it and elevate the flavor! This nuanced pesto is made with fresh mint leaves, dill, green onions, pistachios and lemon! The truth is you can make pesto out of just about anything, and while most people think of pesto with basil, this mint pesto is just as delicious. You can pair it with nearly anything, but it’s great with grilled meats, veggies, chicken and as a spread on a cheese board.
Ingredients for Pistachio Mint Pesto
- Pistachios
- Fresh Mint Leaves
- Dill sprigs
- Green Onions
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Salt and Pepper
How to Wash Fresh Mint
Mint can often be very gritty and dirty. To properly wash mint you should:
- Pick all the mint leaves off the stem
- Fill a big bowl with cool water
- Submerge the mint leaves and swoosh them around.
- Let them sit for a minute so that the dirt drops to the bottom.
- Pick up the mint leaves as gently as possible, so as to not disturb the dirt, and place in a colander.
- Empty out the water, rinse the bowl and repeat the process until no dirt is left behind in the bowl.
- If desired you can run the mint leaves in a salad spinner to dry them off.
How to Prevent Pesto from Turning Brown
Pesto turns brown when the fresh herbs oxidize by coming into prolonged contact with oxygen. It isn’t harmful to eat brown pesto, but it can have an off taste and it looks unpleasant. To prevent browning you can float some olive oil over the top of pesto in the container. Make sure to cover the pesto entirely. This creates an airtight seal and will prevent the pesto from turning brown immediately.
Ways to Use Pistachio Mint Pesto
This bright pesto would be great with so many dishes! It is great with chicken, turkey or even pork. This would be a nice addition with lamb in springtime as well! You can use pesto in pasta dishes, rice dishes, in a salad, as a dip or spread and served over a grilled meat or veggies.
Check out these recipes that use pesto:
- Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables
- Creamy Pesto Chicken “Pasta”
- Crock-Pot Pesto Chicken Salad
If you like this mint recipe, check out these others:
Pistachio Mint Pesto
This bright Pistachio Mint Pesto is a unique twist on the classic to use up all of that abundant summer mint! It's made with pistachio, mint and dill and is so bright and refreshing. It's perfect for grilled meat or veggies and comes together quickly to add a nice punch of flavor to any dish!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup whole raw pistachios
- 2 cups packed mint leaves, washed well
- ½ cup packed dill
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Big pinch salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Hot water, if needed
Directions
- Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor or a high speed blender. Pulse until finely chopped.
- With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. If needed you can add in a tablespoon of hot water as needed to make a smooth pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Use immediately or store for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container.
Recipe Notes
- If storing for more than a day, to prevent browning float some olive oil over the top of the pesto to create an airtight seal.
Nutrition
Pistachio Mint Pesto
This easy Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables is heart and flavor-packed weeknight dinner recipe! Sheet pan dinners are great because they’re mostly hands-off cooking and usually have a little bit of something for everyone. This salmon dinner is smothered in a unique sage and pistachio pesto and is cooked along side hearty fall root vegetables.
Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner with Sage Pesto
This Sheet Pan Salmon with Root Vegetables is the perfect dinner any night of the week! Sheet pan dinners with fish are so versatile: in the summer, you can use fresh zucchini, bell peppers, and corn; in the fall and winter, root vegetables; and in the spring, asparagus, peas, and artichokes. The salmon is topped with an awesome sage pesto that is a switch-up from the classic basil version. It pairs so nicely with the heartier root vegetables, but feel free to use basil in the warmer seasons if you are using other veggies.
This recipe brought to you by:
This recipes come to you from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, and to no surprise from Tieghan, it is a stunning cookbook filled with so many recipes, from her swoon-worthy barn in the mountains!
While this cookbook isn’t totally gluten-free or paleo-friendly, it is 100% adaptable and FABULOUS. On my list of recipes to make:
- Salted Fig + Maple Butter + Tahini Toast
- Buddha Smoothie Bowl
- Quick Kickin’ Cajun Shrimp & Rice
- Perfect Potato Soup with Crunchy Kale
- Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp
- and so many more!
Tips for sheet pan cooking:
- Read the recipe all the way through (of course) and plan to use a timer so you can truly walk away from the oven.
- Do the prep ahead of time: Cut vegetables or make pesto the night before or that morning if you are looking to speed up the process when it comes time for the actual cooking.
- Use parchment paper to make clean up a breeze.
- Use the correct size sheet pan. When we say sheet pan we are referring to the rimmed half sheet pan which is 18″ by 13″. The size of the sheet pan matters because you do not want to overcrowd the pan when cooking, so if you are using a smaller sheet pan you may need to use 2 to achieve the same result.
If you like this sheet pan recipe, check out these others:
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Sheet Pan Kielbasa Sausage and Sauerkraut Dinner
- Chicken “Pizza” Sheet Pan Dinner
- Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken and Veggies
- Sheet Pan Herb Butter Salmon with Blistered Tomatoes and Green Beans
Want more salmon recipes? Try these:
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Tomato Jalapeno Salmon Burgers
- Horseradish Encrusted Salmon
- Salmon and Veggies en Papillote
Grab Tieghan’s cookbook here!
Sheet Pan Root Vegetable and Sage Pesto Salmon
This easy Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables is heart and flavor-packed weeknight dinner recipe! Sheet pan dinners are great because they're mostly hands-off cooking and usually have a little bit of something for everyone. This salmon dinner is smothered in a unique sage and pistachio pesto and is cooked along side hearty fall root vegetables.
Ingredients
- 3 small beets, halved
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 small to medium sweet potato, diced
- 12 baby potatoes (about 1")
- 12 Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (5- to 6-ounce) salmon fillets
- Fresh lemon juice (optional)
For Sage Pesto
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup baby kale
- ⅓ cup toasted pistachios
- Optional: ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Crushed red pepper flakes
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, baby potatoes, and Brussels sprouts with the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly tender.
- MEANWHILE, MAKE THE PESTO. In a food processor, combine the sage, kale, and pistachios and pulse until finely chopped. Add the Parmesan, if adding, and pulse again. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
- Remove the veggies from the oven and push them to one side of the pan. Put the salmon on the other side. Rub a few tablespoons of the sage pesto over each fillet.
- Return the pan to the oven and roast for 10 to 20 minutes more, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness and the veggies are soft.
- If desired, squeeze a drop of lemon juice over the salmon. Serve with the roasted veggies and extra sage pesto alongside.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is from my friend Tieghan's cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, and printed with permission!
Nutrition
Sheet Pan Salmon with Sage Pesto and Root Vegetables
If you have been here a while, you know I’m all about the spiralizer these days! I love pasta, so it really is the perfect way to satisfy that pasta craving- BUT WITH VEGGIES. So much yes!
This Creamy Pesto Chicken “Pasta” is flavorful, delicious, full of good-for-you ingredients, and makes the perfect nutritious dinner for your family.
This weekend was kind of relaxed. We laid low and managed to have a fun-filled day of registering *gasps* for our wedding! We binge-watched The Jinx (a new HBO Documentary short series), and I met my girlfriends for brunch yesterday. A nice relaxing weekend for busy week ahead! Cooking for Passover, heading to NY, taking care of wedding stuff, blog work, gym time, and so much more. Busy busy busy. That’s why I need to fuel up with dinners like this.
Protein, good-for-you fats… the works!
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What is your favorite type of pasta dish? How do you fuel your mind & body for busy weeks?
Creamy Pesto Chicken “Pasta”
This Spinach Basil Pesto is the perfect condiment for your pasta, chicken, or seafood! It is creamy, flavorful, easy to prepare, and delicious on top of most dishes! Add a flavor boost to your meals with this homemade pesto that coms together in under 5 minutes!
Try it in a pesto chicken salad with this easy shredded chicken!
Spinach Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 1/2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup cashews, pine nuts, or nuts of choice.
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
