23 Delicious Ways to Use Pesto (2024)

FAQs

What else can you do with pesto? ›

Use it as a spread for sandwiches, paninis and crostini toast appetizers. Drizzle on caprese salads of fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Bake up a pesto pizza or a colorful Italian-inspired flatbread. Finish grilled meats and seafood, roasted vegetables and breakfast eggs.

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

While you can freeze pesto in full-batch amounts, it is also convenient to freeze pesto in smaller portions to be used as quick flavor-enhancers (without being the full flavor force of the dish)—swirl in soups or stir into salad dressings, or add a dollop to a bowl of rice.

Pesto will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you've stored it in the freezer, it will last for 6 months. When you're ready to use frozen pesto, thaw it overnight in the fridge or place the container of pesto in a bowl of warm water for a quicker thawing time.

Pesto can be used as a pasta sauce, sandwich spread, pizza sauce, an accompaniment to meat, fish, chicken and vegetables, in salads, as a dip and much more. Find plenty of recipes that use pesto here.

PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.

Almost all the jarred pestos you find in the supermarket will have been pasteurised to not only ensure that they can last a long time unopened, but so they are perfectly safe to eat straight from the jar. There is no need to heat pesto, although too many people do.

This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.

What is the difference between pesto and pesto genovese? ›

While traditional pesto alla Genovese typically includes non-vegetarian cheeses (including Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo), pesto by nature invites interpretation - feel free to substitute the traditional cheese for a vegetarian alternative.

Still, the most famous pesto—and the one we tend to think of when we hear the word—is pesto alla genovese.

My favorite thing to do with all of those fresh herbs (aside from sprinkle them on everything) is to make pesto! It's especially great for lazy summertime cooking. I like to dollop it on grilled vegetables, pasta, spaghetti squash, salads, eggs, toasted bread, pizza, sandwiches… you get the idea.

Will pesto change color after freezing? If the pesto is exposed to air, yes, it will change color but not flavor. That's why we suggest topping it with a little extra olive oil after putting it in your freezer container.

Spread the pesto in a thin layer. Freeze. 2- Remove from freezer and break pesto into pieces. 3- Place in a zip lock bag and freeze!

Its scarcity, plus the fact that the plants are picked roots, soil, and all to ensure that only juvenile leaves make it into pesto, makes it extraordinarily expensive and something that only premium, artisan pesto makers can justify using.

Yes, pesto can be used straight from the jar and doesn't require cooking or heating.

Add a pinch of salt if the basil tastes too bitter or the pesto needs more zing. Add more Parmesan if you'd like a creamier/cheesier pesto. If desired, you can thin out the pesto with more olive oil.

You already know we don't normally condone heating pesto on the hob, but in the case of leftover pesto-pasta, a quick sauté in a wok or saucepan with a little vegetable oil is perfectly fine with us.