Homemade arugula walnut & basil pesto sauce comes together in minutes for a quick and simple recipe. Use this easy pesto sauce on chicken, pasta or fish!
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces to make. It’s light, bright and super flavorful.
Homemade pesto sauce is incredibly easy and requires minimal effort-the ingredients are placed in a blender (or food processor) and mixed until smooth.
Spinach is added in with the arugula, basil and walnuts for an extra boost of green.
Pesto is one of those sauces I make regularly in the Spring and Summer because it’s so easy and goes with anything! Plus, there’s so many different versions you can make so it never gets boring.
What is pesto made of?
Traditional, Italian pesto sauce is made from fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic.
What can you use instead of pine nuts?
You can use any nut in pesto sauce that you prefer! My favorites are walnuts and almonds. I’ve seen recipes that use pistachios and cashews as well.
What can you use instead of basil?
Basil gives pesto its original flavor, however there are tons of recipes that don’t use basil in their pesto.
You can use spinach, arugula or even parsley.
It’s fun to swap and mix ingredients in your pesto sauce. Basically the equation for any pesto sauce is:
Greens + Toasted Nuts + Garlic + Cheese + Olive Oil=Awesomely Delicious Homemade Pesto Sauce
Some easy ways I like to use my homemade arugula walnut & basil pesto is:
- On grilled chicken
- Over pasta (or spaghetti squash/veggie noodles)
- On pizza with fresh mozzarella
- Spread on crostini for an easy appetizer
- On top of salmon
My all-time favorite pesto recipe is with my homemade cauliflower gnocchi recipe
Homemade pesto can be kept in an airtight container or jar for 5-7 days in the refrigerator or 3-4 months in the freezer.
To freeze your homemade pesto:
- Place in ice cube trays and once frozen, remove and store in zip lock bag. This way you can take out as much as you need at a time for your recipe!
- Store in airtight container or small jars and freeze 3-4 months. Defrost to room temperature before using.
Homemade arugula walnut & basil pesto is easy and can be used in tons of great recipes! Best part is it’s quick and easy to make :)…just how we like it.
Arugula Walnut & Basil Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Arugula
- 1/2 cup Basil
- 1 cup Spinach
- ½ cup Walnuts toasted
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- Pinch of Salt
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for olive oil in food processor or blender.
- Pulse until well combined.
- Slowly add in olive oil, and process until pureed and smooth (it’s okay if it’s a little chunky!)
- Use immediately or store in airtight jar or container.
Pesto lovers unite – I just had basil pesto with pasta and chicken for dinner 🙂 I love the idea of your twist – arugula and walnut would go perfect together!
That sound delicious! Thank you 🙂