Shellfish Free Garlic Ginger Fresh Herb Pesto
This vibrant, herb-forward pesto brings together fragrant basil, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, and a bright hit of fresh ginger for a sauce that feels both familiar and genuinely exciting. The addition of fresh ricotta gives it a creamy, luscious body that you just don't get from a standard pesto, while raw sunflower seeds step in for pine nuts and add a subtle, nutty depth. Everything comes together in a food processor in just a few pulses, making it one of those sauces that feels far more impressive than the effort involved. Pesto can be a surprisingly tricky category to navigate when avoiding shellfish, since restaurant versions and jarred store-bought blends sometimes share production lines with seafood-based products — making a homemade batch the smartest move. Every ingredient here is straightforward and plant-forward, so you know exactly what's going into the jar. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, or swirl it into soups — it's endlessly versatile. Freeze it in small portions and you'll have a punchy, fresh-tasting sauce 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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