Fresh Basil Pesto with Tomatoes for Caprese salad, Bruschetta, and more!

On Saturday we went downtown to check out the “Heirloom Tomato Festival” at Reds.  Kent went for the beer tent, but for me, it was all about the food.

I tried the Gazpacho, which I loved, but I don’t remember ever having any I didn’t like.  (In case you don’t know, it’s a cold soup that is out of this WORLD, loaded with flavor and enzymes, and here's my own Gazpacho recipe.)  Then I tried their Caprese salad and loved the way they did it:  instead of leaving their basil leaves whole, like I do in my Caprese salad, they grind it up like pesto, and then add the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.  The flavors were amazing, and when I asked if they’d share the recipe the gal said jokingly, “No good chef gives out his recipes!”

So even though Chef Glenn has given out his recipes many times in the past, I didn’t feel like waiting and did what any food blogger would do, I came home and figured out the recipe myself…and nailed it perfectly, if I do say so!

There are so many tasty ways to use this fresh basil pesto recipe:

• • Try it on these yummy sandwiches!!!
• 
  • Serve it on crusty sourdough bread (brushed with butter or olive oil & toasted) for bruschetta – doesn’t everyone love bruschetta?
  • Use it in this yummy and savory tomato pie!
• 
  • Eat it with a cracker.  (Have you tried these homemade sourdough crackers?   Try to find crackers without seed oils!)
  • Serve it over pasta for a quick dinner.  (Here's our favorite pasta.)
  • If it's too hot to cook, or you need a quick dinner, you could do a “picnic” with little dishes of many choices like the pesto recipe below, sourdough bread, liverwurst, deviled eggs, cheese, a salad and sliced fruit.  Fun!
  • Eat it plain as a Caprese salad for a low-carb option.
  • I also think I’ll try it with this boursin cheese appetizer as a dip.
  • I’ll bet it would be good mixed with a little sour cream for a creamy pesto veggie dip or salad dressing, too…the possibilities are endless!
  • Try this easy main dish chicken pesto recipe.
• 
  • Fried fish with lemon garlic pesto.
• 
  • Parmesan Pesto Pasta with seasoned chicken.
• 
  • Any other ideas?
  • Also check out Kasey's video making sweet and savory crepes (with pesto) on the hoverboard.  🙂

Print Recipe

Fresh Basil Pesto

Author: Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted (see instructions)
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1 big handful basil leaves (doesn't have to be exact)
• 1 handful flatleaf parsley , if desired (I usually throw some in just so it makes more)
• If you have a lemon balm plant in your yard like we do, you could add a handful of those leaves!
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• Juice from 1 lemon (or more to taste) or about 1 Tablespoon of your favorite balsamic vinegar
• Optional: chopped tomatoes, I used grape tomatoes from our garden
• Optional: If you're making a a Caprese salad, add small pieces of fresh mozzarella (the soft kind from the deli section at the store), or if you’re making bruschetta, add about 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan
• 1/4 cup olive oil --Remember some olive oil is NOT good for you, click here to read more about how to be sure you're getting the real thing.

Instructions

• First toast the pinenuts: add to a pan with the butter and keep on low-medium heat for a few minutes until golden, make sure they don't burn. Let cool a bit while you pull the other stuff together.
• Clean basil and parsley, I use my salad spinner. Add these to your food processor. (Use a mini food processor for smaller batches.)
• Throw in the rest of the ingredients *except* the tomatoes (if using) and the olive oil and blend for a bit until everything is in small pieces and combined well.
• Transfer to a bowl and stir in the 1/4 cup olive oil. Then stir in optional tomatoes.
• Serve this in any of the ways mentioned above, and enjoy!  (Also, see the pesto we made for fish– so good!)

More posts you might like:

• How to freeze fresh basil so you can enjoy it all winter!  (This is another version of basil pesto from Jill!)

• My yummy Gazpacho Soup Recipe