Seed Oil Free Basil & Olive Pesto
Most store-bought pestos sneak in sunflower oil, canola oil, or other refined seed oils as cheap filler ā which means even a "classic" jar can be off the table if you're keeping things clean. This version skips all of that entirely, relying on a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil as the only fat, so you know exactly what you're getting. The result is a bright, herbaceous sauce with a briny depth from the green olives and a lift of citrus from both fresh lemon juice and zest ā it's genuinely more interesting than the pine nut standard. Garlic and packed fresh basil do the heavy lifting on flavor, and the whole thing comes together in a food processor in under a minute of active work. Optional parsley adds a slightly grassy note if you want to stretch the herb profile even further. Spoon it over pasta, swipe it on grilled chicken, or use it as a dip ā this pesto is versatile enough to earn a permanent spot in your weekly rotation.
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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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