I had a bunch of basil in my fridge that was getting ready to spoil, so I figured I’d whip up some homemade, gluten free pesto. I love to serve gnocchi and sausage in a basil pesto cream sauce! Oh man, I’m salivating just thinking about it! I’ll share that recipe on another day, for now, let’s focus on the pesto itself.
For years I’ve purchased pesto because I always thought it would be difficult to make. Boy, was I ever wrong! If you have a food processor, or a blender, then you’re money. Seriously, all you do is toss the ingredients in and hit pulse a bunch of times.
Here we go, step by step…
1- Toast a 1/4 – 1/3 cup of pine nuts
I tend to go a little lighter on the pine nuts, so I use 1/4 cup. Toasting them brings out the natural oils and increases the flavor. Just toss these babies into a skillet and warm on medium heat until you start to smell them. I shake them around in the pan periodically because it keeps them from burning.
2- Wash basil and pat dry
Wash your basil and pat it dry before tossing it into the bowl of the food processor. I also remove any large stems and questionable looking areas on the leaves.
To ensure you’re pesto is gluten free simply verify each ingredient you mix in is gluten free. The main ingredient to be cautious of is the type of parmesan cheese you use.
3- Measure out ingredients
Next, measure out your olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt. (And yes, I forgot to include my garlic in the pic. No judgements please, I’m new at this! Lol!)
4- Blend ingredients until smooth
Place all your ingredients, except the olive oil, in the food processor. Lock on the lid. Pulse a few times, then slowly add in the olive oil, blending until mostly smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure you evenly blend every tasty bit. Voila, you have homemade Gluten Free Basil Pesto!
5- Store your finished product
Finally, pour your pesto into a jar and top with a small layer of olive oil to keep your basil that beautiful green. I store mine in small mason jars. You can keep it refrigerated for about a week or freeze it for several months. The issue with freezing for extended periods of time is that the pesto will lose some of its wonderful flavor. You can safely freeze it up to a year in a deep freezer, it just may not taste as lovely as it would if you ate it sooner.
Recipe
Gluten Free Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups Basil, packed
- 1/4 cup Pine nuts toasted
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (Gluten Free) shredded or shaved
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally to prevent burning.
- Wash basil, pat dry, remove any large stems.
- Place basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, and parmesan cheese in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse a few times, then slowly add olive oil. Add and salt and pepper to taste. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.
- Store in fridge or freezer in tightly sealed jar with a drizzle of olive oil on top.
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