Mixed Herb Pesto

When we moved into our apartment one of the things my roommate and I discovered was that plants and curtains make things feel homey and look completely decorated so I bought a lot of houseplants and herb plants.  After awhile we had an abundance of herbs so I decided to make pesto using a mix of basil, mint, and parsley.  The combination of the three herbs with garlic, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and lemon turned out really well, all the flavors complemented each other nicely.   As a bonus, pesto is super simple to make from scratch and it takes almost no time at all, and it’s incredibly versatile.

First mince your garlic cloves.

Throw all of your herbs, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, lemon juice and zest, some fresh cracked black pepper, and the garlic into a blender (yes, pesto is normally made with nuts but my blender can’t handle crushing them, if you have a food processor or a good blender feel free to throw in some pine nuts or any other nut you think would be good).

Stream in some extra virgin olive oil until you reach the desired consistency and then presto, you have pesto!  As I said pesto is super versatile and you can eat it with a bunch of delicious things.  For example, the first night I made the pesto we had it with some chicken and squash we grilled with olive oil and salt & pepper.

Then I had leftovers with some store bought tortellini with sauteed peppers and mushrooms.

It also makes a delicious condiment for sandwiches and subs, or a delicious dressing for salads.  The possibilities are endless so use your imagination!  As an added bonus pesto freezes really well so you can make a big batch and freeze the extra!

 

What’s your favorite way to use pesto?

 

Recipe

Mixed Herb Pesto

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup basil

1/3 cup mint

1/3 cup parsley

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 lemon – juice and zest

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic – minced

extra virgin olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

– Place all ingredients except olive oil in a blender or food processor

– Turn on low and stream in olive oil until you’ve reached your desired consistency

– Serve as desired or freeze in an air tight container