Black Pepper Free Garlic Ginger Fresh Herb Pesto
This vibrant green pesto brings together fresh basil, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, and a bright hit of ginger for a sauce that feels both familiar and genuinely exciting. The ginger adds a warm, aromatic depth that plays beautifully against the herbaceous base — no heat from black pepper needed, and honestly, you won't miss it for a second. Raw sunflower seeds stand in for the traditional pine nuts, giving the pesto a subtly nutty, creamy body without any of the usual fuss or expense. Fresh ricotta rounds everything out with a mild richness that makes the texture luxuriously smooth while keeping the flavor light and fresh. It all comes together in a food processor in just a few pulses, so the effort is minimal but the result looks and tastes like something you'd find at a really good Italian deli. Toss it with pasta, spread it on toast, or use it as a dipping sauce — it's endlessly versatile. Freeze it in small portions and you've got a stash of something genuinely special ready to go whenever you need it.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup fresh ricotta
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Add the basil, parsley, garlic, and ginger to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the herbs are roughly broken down and the garlic and ginger are finely chopped.
- 2
Add the sunflower seeds and fresh ricotta. Pulse another 6–8 times until the seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture looks evenly combined but still has some texture.
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