Basil Pesto with Sunflower Seeds
Basil pesto is one of my absolute favorite flavors. I vividly remember the first time I had pesto pasta. It was my first week at the University of Washington as a little freshman and the dorm cafeteria was running a pasta special (I know, I know - dorm food?! I promise, UW has an excellent food service program). I was immediately addicted but had no idea how to make it myself. Eventually I discovered jarred, ready-made pesto sauce and would eat it here and there, but it was never quite as good.
This was about the same time that I started teaching myself how to cook by making my way through different cookbooks. I experimented with various pesto recipes and eventually developed this one that is now my go-to staple. It is dairy-free and nut-free without sacrificing any of the fresh and complex flavors you expect in a pesto. It’s also shockingly easy, especially if you have a small food processor.
This sauce is wickedly versatile. You can use it as a pasta sauce, spread it on a sandwich, or use it to marinate chicken. It could even be thinned out with some more lemon juice and used as a salad dressing. I always have a batch of this made to have on hand to add some extra flavor to my lunches and dinners. To store, put in a freezer-safe Ball Jar and top with a layer of olive oil before putting in the freezer.
Basil Pesto with Sunflower Seeds
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces fresh basil
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 3 garlic cloves
- juice from 1/2 lemon, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
How to cook Basil Pesto with Sunflower Seeds
- Remove leaves from the basil stems, discard stems
- Add basil, sunflower seeds, garlic cloves, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a food processor and process to lightly chop and mix ingredients
- While the processor is running, slowly drizzle olive oil into the mixture and process until a smooth consistency forms
