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A bowl of green pesto sauce with a wooden spoon, surrounded by fresh basil leaves, a halved lemon, a gray plaid napkin, and slices of bread on a white surface.
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5 from 10 votes

Lemony Basil Walnut Pesto

This delicious 20 minute pasta is the perfect way to use peak season basil for an easy summer dinner.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Dinner, Pastas, Vegetables
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pesto
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 Cups Fresh Basil stems and leaves only
  • 1/4 Cup Walnuts preferrably toasted
  • 2 cloves Garlic sliced
  • 1 Medium Lemon zest and juice
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 1 Ice Cube (optional)

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, add more if needed.
  • Tip: If you want to have really vibrant pesto, do what I sometimes do and add an ice cube to the food processor before blending.  It will keep the basil from heating and losing some of its rich green caused by the heat from the food processor motor. The ice cube will bounce around in the machine at first but eventually will chop up and then melt into the pesto. Is it necessary?  Definitely not.  Is it nice to know?  Sure is!
  • Puree until almost smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the food processor as needed. Taste and add more salt if desired. I always add at leasst another 1/2 teaspoon.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1214IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 201mg | Iron: 1mg
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