Our basil didn’t do so well in the garden this year… maybe because I ignored the garden basically and left the 12 year old in charge of it… maybe.
Never mind, I have this basil pesto on hand in my freezer year round. I buy the gigantic 1 pound bag of basil at our local restaurant supply store and make a huge batch. I use it to spread on sandwiches as a condiment, on pizza crust as the sauce, in this salad dressing, or pretty much anywhere.
I pop a cube or two in the microwave for a few seconds and it’s good to go.
I never blanch my basil and the color is always super bright. If you adore lemon as much as I do use fresh lemon juice and add the zest of the lemons in too!
You can freeze it in ice cube trays and when frozen pop into a container. I freeze mine in cookie dough freezer trays and leave them in it. Each cube holds about 2 Tablespoons and the big batch of pesto fits in 2 of those trays.
You can totally use a store bought pesto for the dressing, but I think homemade has so much better flavor and you have complete control over the ingredients and quality. My youngest is very allergic to tree nuts as well and good luck finding a nut free pesto! I actually prefer the flavor of mine without any nuts or cheese. Just super concentrated basil flavor with a bright lemon note!
BIG BATCH BASIL PESTO
1 pound basil leaves
2 cups olive oil
24 cloves garlic cloves
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice (and lemon zest if using fresh)
Pulse everything in a food processor until fairly smooth. Freeze in ice cube trays.
CREAMY PESTO SALAD DRESSING
1/4 cup Basil Pesto
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a mason jar and mix or shake to combine. (or whisk together in a bowl).
Chill until ready to serve.
Ingredients
For basil pesto:
- 1 pound basil leaves
- 2 cups olive oil
- 24 cloves garlic cloves
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (and lemon zest if using fresh)
For salad dressing:
- 1/4 cup Basil Pesto
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To make basil pesto:
- Pulse everything in a food processor until fairly smooth. Freeze in ice cube trays.
To make salad dressing:
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar and mix or shake to combine. (or whisk together in a bowl).
- Chill until ready to serve.
