Sesame Free Basil & Olive Pesto
Bright, herby, and packed with Mediterranean character, this pesto swaps out the usual pine nuts entirely and leans on briny green olives to deliver richness and depth. The result is a sauce that feels luxurious without any of the common allergen concerns that come with store-bought versions, which often sneak in unexpected ingredients or are processed on shared lines. Pulsing the basil, olives, garlic, lemon juice, and zest together before streaming in the olive oil gives you that perfect coarse-yet-creamy texture ā rustic enough to feel homemade, smooth enough to coat every strand of pasta. A hit of lemon zest keeps things lively and stops the basil from tasting flat, while the olives add a savory, almost buttery quality that makes this sauce genuinely craveable. Optional parsley folded in at the end adds a fresh pop of color and a slightly grassy note if you want it. Spread it on toast, toss it with roasted vegetables, stir it into warm pasta, or spoon it over grilled chicken ā this one earns its place in your weekly rotation fast.
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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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