Macadamia Free Basil & Olive Pesto
Bright, herby, and packed with Mediterranean character, this pesto swaps out the usual nuts entirely in favor of briny green olives ā and the result is genuinely stunning. The olives bring a savory, buttery depth that pairs beautifully with the fresh basil, while lemon juice and zest keep everything tasting vibrant and alive. Garlic rounds it all out, and a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil pulls the whole thing into a silky, spoonable sauce. For anyone navigating nut-free cooking, store-bought pestos can be a minefield of unexpected ingredients, but this one is made entirely from produce and pantry staples you can see and trust. The food processor does the heavy lifting in under a minute, making this one of the easiest homemade condiments you'll ever put together. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, swirl it into soup, or use it as a bold sandwich base ā it's endlessly versatile. A handful of fresh parsley stirred in at the end adds a little extra green freshness if you have it on hand.
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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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