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Freezer Pesto Sauce

Megan7161 views

Every Summer I grow a huge basil plant in my garden. I love using fresh basil in sauces and salads all summer long. Around mid-October, I start watching the weather reports closely so I can time my basil harvest just right. Basil does not do well in temperatures under 40 degrees. Whenever that cool-down happens, I drop what I am doing and pull in the basil and make pesto and freeze it to use all winter long. I make these frozen pesto pucks into Pesto Chicken Pizza with it or mix it into Pasta and it tastes like I made it that day. It sure is wonderful to enjoy the taste of Summer in the dead of winter. Here’s how I do it:

Freezer Pesto Sauce

Preserve Summer Basil Leaves into Pesto Sauce to use all winter long!
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 3 Cups
Author Megan

Ingredients

  • 4 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves
  • 1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 1/2 Cups Olive Oil divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 1/4 Cup Parmesan fresh grated

Instructions

  • Harvest Pesto leaves and brush or dust off any dirt.
  • Pack 4 Cups of basil leaves in the bottom of a food processor. Add 4 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/2 Cup of Pine nuts and pulse a few times until chopped.
  • Add 3/4 Cup Olive Oil and process until smooth. Reserve 1/8 Cup Oil for step 5. Continue adding remaining Olive Oil until desired consistency is reached. Season with Salt and Pepper.
  • Transfer to a small mixing bowl and mix in the Parmesan cheese. Spoon pesto sauce into a 6-Cup muffin tin. Line the cups with silicone liners for really easy removal after freezing.
  • Pour 1 additional teaspoon olive oil over each cup of sauce to seal in the flavor as the pesto freezes. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and freeze the sauce over night.
  • Pop the frozen pesto puck out of the muffin tins using a butter knife, or peel it out of the silicone liner (if you used them.) Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Bosch Food Processor Attachment

ZYLISS Rotary Cheese Grater

Non-stick 6-Cup Muffin Pan

Silicone Muffin Liners

Silicone Muffin Pan

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