How to Make Rosemary Pesto

Fresh rosemary makes a flavorful pesto.

Rosemary is an aromatic member of the mint family. It makes a very tasty pesto sauce, as many other members of the mint family do. When mixed in a food processor with garlic, oil and other ingredients, you can make a flavorful pesto that can be used with pasta or potatoes, as a dipping sauce for bread, or on meats, fish and vegetables. Use fresh rosemary to get the best flavor.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Food processor
• 1 cup fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 cups fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tbsp. walnuts or pine nuts
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Extra olive oil

Instructions

1. Place the rosemary, parsley, nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and salt into food processor. Process until as smooth as possible.

2. Pour olive oil into food processor. Process again until smooth.

3. Taste pesto. Add additional oil to smooth it out a little if it is too chunky. If you prefer it more chunky, add extra nuts. Adjust other flavors as needed to get desired taste.

4. Store rosemary pesto in the refrigerator in a clean jar. Cover with 1/4 inch olive oil to prevent spoiling.

5. Use rosemary pesto as a sauce on meats, fish, vegetables or beans. Use as a sauce on pasta or as a dipping sauce for bread. Many recipes that use rosemary pesto will include their own instructions for making it, so adjust accordingly for them.

Tips & Warnings

• Rosemary pesto can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It can last up to a year in the freezer, though it will lose much of its taste after just a few months.

• Substitute additional fresh rosemary for the parsley if you want an even more intense rosemary flavor.

• Nuts can be omitted if need be.

• If growing your own rosemary, harvest it before it flowers to prevent the leaves from turning bitter.

References

• Food.com: Rosemary pesto

Resources

• Cooksrecipes.com: Seared Tuna with Olive-Rosemary Pesto