Name: Basil and Cashew Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 oz (50 g) fresh basil leaves - 1 good sized bunch; 2 cloves of garlic; 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 oz (50 g) grated parmesan; pinch of salt; fresh ground pepper

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Basil and cashew pesto

Full of summer fragrance, bright green basil leaves whizzed up in seconds to make this perfumed pesto. Basil and cashew pesto is a wonderful standby to quickly jazz up a pasta dish or toss with steamed veggies or dollop alongside grilled fish or chicken. One of our favourites is as an accompaniment to our minestrone with ham and pesto.

Ideas for basil and cashew pesto

mix with sour cream or yogurt for a great dip
stir through pasta
brush cobs of corn with pesto
spread on sandwiches
toss through cherry tomatoes
on pizza
dollop on vegetable soup

Making pesto

Making fresh pesto is an absolute breeze particularly if you have a food processor. Change the herbs to make parsley, coriander or rocket pesto. Change the nuts to what you have on hand….think pine nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts or toasted almonds.

basil and cashew pesto in a white oval bowl with a wooden spoon on a marble bench — finished pesto

Basil and cashew pesto — ingredients for pesto

basil and cashew pesto in food pro — basil and cashew pesto blended

Check out some winning dips and salsa recipes

Guacamole with tabasco — guacamole with tabasco – gluten free

smoked salmon pate with quick pickled cucumbers

Roasted Tomato Salsa — roasted tomato and chipotle salsa – gluten free

Chargrilled bell peppers with garlic and anchovies — chargrilled bell peppers with garlic and anchovies

Mexican chargrilled corn salsa — mexican chargrilled corn salsa

1 cup

Basil and Cashew Pesto

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 oz (50 g) fresh basil leaves - 1 good sized bunch
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 oz (50 g) grated parmesan
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper

Instructions

place all ingredients into a food processor or blender
blitz till garlic and nuts are chopped evenly
spoon into a container and refrigerate or freeze - see notes

Notes

pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays then stored in ziplock bag in the freezer ready for when you want to add a spoonful or two into soups or pasta

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 70Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 1mgSodium 34mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g

Nutritional information provided here is only intended as a guide.