Nutmeg Free Basil & Olive Pesto
Bright, herby, and punchy with briny green olive flavor, this pesto is a seriously satisfying sauce that comes together in minutes with just a food processor and a handful of fresh ingredients. The combination of packed basil leaves, pitted green olives, and a hit of lemon juice and zest gives it a vibrant, slightly tangy edge that feels more alive than anything you'd find in a jar at the store. Many jarred pestos and spice blends sneak in unexpected seasonings, so making your own from scratch is the cleanest way to know exactly what's going into the bowl. Garlic and good extra-virgin olive oil do the heavy lifting here, creating a silky, cohesive sauce with just enough texture to cling to pasta, bread, or roasted vegetables. A handful of fresh parsley stirred in at the end is optional but adds another layer of green, grassy freshness if you have it on hand. The whole process takes barely any effort ā pulse, drizzle, taste, done ā and the result keeps beautifully in a sealed jar in the fridge for easy weeknight meals 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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