Natural form

Whole basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan — the raw components of pesto.

Shows readers the exact ingredients and their appearance before any processing begins.

Sauces & Pastes

Pesto

Vibrant basil-and-pine-nut sauce for pasta and beyond

Fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan pounded into a vivid green sauce — toss it through pasta, spoon over fish, or swirl into soup. Keep it cold with oil on top.

Pesto is the vivid green uncooked sauce of Genoa — fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan (and often Pecorino), and good olive oil, traditionally pounded in a mortar (pesto means 'pounded'). Bright, herbaceous, garlicky, and rich, it dresses pasta in seconds and goes far beyond it: onto sandwiches, eggs, roasted vegetables, and fish. Because it's raw, freshness and good oil matter enormously.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 14 days

Allergens

DairyTree Nuts

Find it in

Pasta Grains

Types & varieties

Pesto alla Genovese

The classic basil-pine-nut-Parmesan original.

Pesto rosso (sun-dried tomato)

Red, sweet-savory Sicilian style.

Arugula or kale pesto

Peppery or hearty greens swapped for basil.

Nut-free pesto

Pine nuts omitted or swapped for seeds.

How to use

Toss with hot pasta off the heat (keep a little pasta water to loosen it). Don't boil pesto — cooking dulls its color and fresh basil flavor. Use it as a spread, swirl, or finishing dollop.

Tossing with hot pasta and a splash of pasta water
Spreading on sandwiches and flatbreads
Dolloping on soup, eggs, and roasted vegetables
Marinating chicken and fish

How to store

Press plastic wrap to the surface or cap with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it from browning. It freezes beautifully — try ice-cube trays for portions.

Common uses

Pesto pasta and gnocchiSandwiches and panini spreadSwirled into minestrone or tomato soupRoasted vegetables and potatoesMarinade for chicken and fishPizza and flatbread baseEggs, frittatas, and grain bowls