Artificial Food Coloring Free Basil & Olive Pesto
Bright, herby, and deeply savory, this pesto swaps traditional pine nuts and parmesan for briny green olives and a hit of fresh lemon, creating something that feels both familiar and completely new. Every ingredient here is whole and unprocessed ā fresh basil, real garlic, good olive oil ā so there's zero guesswork about what's actually going into the jar. Store-bought sauces and condiments are notorious for sneaking in synthetic dyes and artificial additives, but when you blend this yourself in under five minutes, you know exactly what you're eating. The olives bring a salty, buttery depth that makes this pesto incredibly versatile ā toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, or use it as a dip for roasted vegetables. A squeeze of lemon and optional parsley keep the color vivid and the flavor lively without any artificial help. It stores beautifully in an airtight jar, so you can make a batch and reach for it all week long.
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Learn more āIngredients
6 servings
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ā cup pitted green olives
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Ā½ tsp lemon zest
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- Ā½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1ā2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the basil leaves, green olives, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8ā10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
- 2
With the processor running, pour the olive oil in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube, processing until the pesto is smooth with a few flecks of texture remaining ā about 20ā30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then pulse once or twice more to incorporate.
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