Makes 2 cups
Time: 20 minutes
I guess the sauce that speaks to my heart and runs through my veins more than anything is pesto. I love it on sandwiches, in soups, on scrambled tofu and stir-fries. I would eat it in a house and I would eat it with a mouse. I would even eat it with Václav Klaus (the president of the Czech Republic, duh.)
And I don’t discriminate with ingredients for my pesto, either. So long as it’s fresh and green, it’s fair game. I like to use all manner of nuts- pistachios, cashews, brazil nuts, no one comes out alive.
But when I want to feel my Brooklyn roots, I go classic: basil, pine nuts, olive oil. Still, even those simple flavors aren’t safe from my whims. This is the recipe for exactly the pesto that I crave — classic ingredients with a few minor adjustments.
Half the pinenuts are replaced with walnuts; a combo which started out as a cost saving measure, but now I just prefer the flavor and texture. Of course I always toast ‘em first to bring out the flavor. I keep it mostly basil, but a little bit of cilantro brightens things up, and some thyme because I’m Isa and I love thyme.
A splash of lemon heightens the flavors and provides some tang, and just a little nooch gives some craeminess and cheeziness. I replace half of the oil in a traditional pesto with some water, and it’s none the worse for it. I actually prefer it this way because it’s not greasy.
The pesto makes enough for a pound of pasta. You can, of course, serve it a million ways, but since this is Comfort Food Month on my blog, I’m going to share my favorite!
I’ve spoken about my love for Louise Hagler’s Tofu Cookery before. And so of course her Tofu Balls have a place on my ideal pasta comfort plate. I make sure to add an extra huge pinch of oregano to them to provide a little herbal flavor contrast with the pesto. And another love is roasted cauliflower. When roasted, cauliflower develops an amazingly complex and nutty flavor that reminds me a little of a campfire. Maybe a campfire on prescription painkillers. It’s really really good. To roast cauliflower: 425 F oven, big pieces of cauli tossed with a little olive oil, salt and fresh black pepper. Large rimmed baking sheet, roast for about 20 minutes, flipping once. Voila!
And so, yeah, there it is, my soul bared in the form of a pesto pasta. And I even plan on doing a post about homemade pasta soon if you feel like going totally overboard this winter.
1/4 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
2 1/2 cups fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Fresh black pepper (to finish)
First toast the nuts. I will let you in on my secret hybrid nut toasting method. Preheat a large heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-low heat. First toast the walnuts for about 5 minutes, tossing them often. Then add the pinenuts for an additional 5. They should turn a few shades darker and smell warm and toasty.
Transfer toasted nuts to a food processor. Add the garlic and pulse everything into fine crumbs. Add the basil, cilantro, thyme, salt, nutritional yeast and water and puree until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides at least once to make sure you get everything. Stream in the olive oil and blend until well combined. Last but not least, blend in the lemon juice.
I serve it over warm pasta (don’t rinse, it needs the starch to stick), and finish it off with some fresh black pepper.
Sounds lovely. Thyme is one ingredient I haven’t seen in a pesto before.
I’ve started adding some balsamic vinegar to my pestos after I read it in some recipe (Vegan Brunch? The Uncheese Cookbook?), it adds a nice depth.
Cauliflower and pesto is also a rather nice combo.
Mmmmmm…Love me some pesto! Now to nom on my hand for a few hours until I can run home and make this.
This sounds like food heaven, I cannot wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!
yay i cant wait to make this. at thanksgiving my gramma gave me her old food processor(its old and ghetto,but it works!) Ive never had one before now i can make all these recipes that call for grinding nuts!!I love pesto and have always wanted to try it but i feared nut grinding would screw up my blender!
What is nooch???
Nutritional yeast flakes. Lovely stuff.
Yummo, I don’t often make my own pesto but I will just to try this recipe. Also, I now want a pale purple plate, it photographs so well.
This does sound like the bestest! Yum!
ooo! thyme would add a certain cheesy flavour i think! i’m gonna try this for sure 🙂 thanks isa!
Parsley pesto FTW! 🙂 Also, freshly toasted sunflower seeds are a delicious and very affordable nut alternative. Making… it… now…! 🙂
I really love the idea of using half water here. I’m personally averse to cilantro, but my favorite variation on pesto I make is scallion-cashew (also with just a dash of nooch and lotsa black pepper).
I make this all the time! I guess I like it best with shape pasta like penne or shells. So lame that you can’t order pesto at a restaurant because it always has parm in it. But this is definitely a go-to dish for me when I don’t have an ambitious dinner menu planned. Comfort food for sure!
Yum! I’ve been going crazy for pesto lately, trying out some different combos of basil in the vegie patch with great results – Lime Basil is my current fave.
Oh snaps! This is making my half buzzed ass drool right now and all I have is a frozen Tofurkey pizza to eat in my house.
By the way Isa, I found alphabet pasta at the Hyvee on Cass the other day. It is like $3.00 for a box and each box has like 2 cups in it. It is like a mac and cheese sized box.
That is good to know, thanks!
What are the delicious looking crunchy things next to the pesto? Not the cauliflower, obviously. The fascinating balls of something.
Those are the tofu balls! I link to them in the post.
Wow I’m gonna have to pop by the supermarket on the way home for some walnuts and basil me thinks!
Pesto is the besto! My family likes it best with toasted walnuts, baby spinach, freshly grated nutmeg and lotsa garlic. I am intrigued by combining walnuts & pine nuts and adding lemon juice. Your website & books have made transitioning to vegan a breeze for my family. Thanks Isa… you rock.
I highly recommend cilantro-almond pesto, I served it once with roasted sweet potatoes, it was really great… of course, if you like cilantro (it seems like people either love or hate it… I am a huge fan)
Thanks Isa for this recipe, I’ll try it soon!
I have that unfortunate “cilantro = soap” neural mishap, so I went for leftover parsley from Thanksgiving stuffing. And it was so good! Definitely a great twist on my beloved VWAV pesto.
YUM! I love the added nutritional yeast and the lemon, both earthy and tangy! Here’s my question: Can I please put some cheese on top? It’s so flavorful but I am so used to either parm or romano on top of my pesto. Or maybe some cheese on my cauliflower? Can I put cheese on anything? I realize you are not restricting me, but I would love permission. Thank you.
Hey, did you guys know that you’re awesome? Also, that you’re mind readers? I was just thinking of pesto and there it is!
Made this tonight and it was really delicious!! I added spinach and parsley!! Super yummy!!!
Fresh pesto just can’t be beat…no argument. And straying from the classic is cool as long as you commit to using quality ingredients that speak to your palate and your soul. Thank you for the tip on cutting the oil with water – I am definitely going to try that next time. 🙂
This was so good! The only pesto I’ve ever liked. Yummy!
That looks so scrumptious! And I love the photo–bright green pesto with the purple plate. So bright and cheery!
i like to cut the oil and use an avocado
but my question for issa is…..what is the best way to reheat pesto for leftovers?
This looks so good Isa, but what I really LOVE is your writing. I love reading what you write, so I am really looking forward to this non-fiction book you have alluded to!
All the best,
Esen
CookbooksandCake.blogspot.com
the color is BEAUTIFUL!
The first homemade pesto I did! Delicious… regards from Czech republic :o))
I thought I would miss cheese in the pesto, but I did not – the flavor was great. I liked it even better on day two, it seemed like the flavors had a chance to meld. And the tofu balls are fantastic. I ate some leftover ones on a toasted sandwich with Vegenaise . . . so simple, so delicious.
I’m one of the few folks out here who isn’t wild about the taste of nutritional yeast. Could I substitute light miso?
Yup, it’s delish with miso.
So perfect. Thanks again Isa!
This is perfect!! It’s so delicious!!! And easy to make!! I’m in love <3 **yumyum**
i ran out of fresh basil and subbed in a cup of fresh spinach. Delicious! Thank you! perfect recipe for everyone in the fam.
This pesto is so delicious!!!!!
Made the pesto and pasta last night and added sautéed veggies and was wonderful! made those awesome tofu balls tonight, I changed the seasoning using curry powder and a mix of peanut butter and almond butter, served them with leftover red lentil dal from your recipe and the roasted cauliflower and some mango chutney, Outstanding! My carnivore husband said he could eat that every night! Thank you! Great blog and great recipes!
I love the idea of adding nutritional yeast to this dish if you want the “cheesy” flavor. And what a good idea to do half walnuts–last time I bought pine nuts, I about fell over at the price. Good thinking! Nothing more comforting than a bowl of pasta with a homemade sauce!
I made this whole meal last night. This is without a doubt the BEST pesto I have ever had! It is divine. So delicious <3
How do you measure out the basil? Densely packed cups, or loosely packed? Can you have too much basil? I usually use all the leaves from two living plants from the supermarket and I’m not sure it that’s too much…
Somewhere in between. Err on the side of more basil.
Beautiful
Can someone (Isa?) tell me how do you measure the basil? Is it chopped up and then squashed in the cup? Is it just the leaves loose in the cup? I have never made pesto before so I want to make it right first time!
Ha… just as I posted this I saw the great minds thinking alike comment! ThanksIsa :).
Wow! I made this tonight (to go with the pesto risotto) and although I was sceptical of the combination of basil, coriander AND thyme I found I couldn’t stop eating it from the blender. Ok so I skipped the nutritional yeast but this is by far the best pesto I’ve ever tasted. Amazing – I should have known by now not to second guess you Isa. My two small children also wolfed down the risotto without any coercion. Thanks!