Walnut Free Mint & Herb Pesto
Pesto lovers who've had to skip the jarred stuff due to nut concerns know the struggle ā most store-bought versions lean heavily on pine nuts or walnuts, and cross-contamination warnings make the label-reading exhausting. This bright, herb-forward version skips nuts entirely and lets fresh mint, basil, and parsley do all the heavy lifting. The combination is surprisingly vibrant, with the mint adding a cool, almost floral note that plays beautifully against the grassy basil and lemon zest. A couple of garlic cloves and a splash of fresh lemon juice round everything out, giving you that punchy, savory depth you want from a great pesto. The food processor does the hard work in under a minute, bringing it all together into a lush, spoonable paste with good olive oil as the backbone. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, spoon it over grilled chicken or fish ā honestly, it works on almost everything. Store it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface and it stays gorgeous for days.
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Learn more āIngredients
6 servings
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- Ā½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
- Ā½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Add the mint, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8ā10 times until the herbs are coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
- 2
With the processor running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream until the pesto comes together into a coarse, spoonable paste ā about 20ā30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, then pulse once or twice more to incorporate any remaining herb pieces.
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