PREP: 15 minutes FREEZE: 6 hours MAKES: 1¼ cups
3 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves (3 oz.)
⅔ cup walnuts or almonds
⅔ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
½ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, quartered
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1. In a food processor or blender combine all of the ingredients. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.
2. Place 2 Tbsp. of the pesto into each slot of a standard ice cube tray; cover tightly with foil. Freeze 6 to 12 hours or until firm.
3. Remove frozen pesto cubes from ice cube trays and place in freezer bags or containers. Store in the freezer up to 3 months. (Freezing tips, page 467)
4. To serve, thaw desired amount of pesto at room temperature 1 to 2 hours.
Chimichurri-Arugula Pesto: Prepare as directed, except omit the cheese and black pepper and substitute 2¾ cups arugula and ¼ cup snipped fresh oregano for the basil; add 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and ½ tsp. crushed red pepper to the mixture in Step 1.
Gremolata-Spinach Pesto: Prepare as directed, except substitute 1½ cups fresh parsley and 1½ cups baby spinach for the basil; omit the cheese; add 1 Tbsp. lemon, lime, or orange zest to the mixture in Step 1.
Serving Idea: For pesto-sauced pasta, toss 2 Tbsp. thawed pesto (1 cube) with each 1 cup hot cooked pasta.
PER 2 TBSP. PESTO, PLAIN OR VARIATIONS: 173 cal., 17 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 5 mg chol., 199 mg sodium, 2 g carb., 1 g fiber, 4 g pro.