Macadamia Nut Pesto

I love, love, love pesto!  It’s so rich and creamy and green and delicious, pesto just screams fresh!  I love putting it on anything…pizzas, pasta, shrimp, chicken, lamb, eggs, the possibilities are endless!  I usually don’t have pine nuts at home, but I usually have macadamia nuts.  So, when I ended up with a big pile of basil, and I wanted pesto, this macadamia nut pesto came to life.  The creaminess of the macadamia nuts meld perfectly with the flavors of the sweet basil, pungent garlic and salty Parmesan cheese.

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmiggiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup Macadamia nuts, toasted
kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the macadamia nuts on a sheet pan until they’re lightly golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.

In a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, add the basil, garlic, cheese and Macadamia nuts.

Process everything in the food processor until it’s a fine paste.  Then, with the food processor still on, drizzle in the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of oil.  Season the pesto with salt and pepper.

This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto.

Storing Pesto

Pesto will keep for up to 4 weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator. Pour a thin film of olive oil on top of the pesto to prevent discoloration and cover with plastic wrap.

Freezing Pesto

I love to freeze pesto in ice cube trays. Spray an ice cube tray with non-stick spray and fill each space with the pesto. When frozen, remove each cube and store in a freezer bag. You will be able to take out as many of the pesto cubes as you need. Usually one cube is enough for adding flavor to a red pasta sauce or a pot of soup.

5 from 3 votes

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Macadamia Nut Pesto

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Delish D'Lites

Ingredients

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup Parmiggiano-Reggiano Cheese grated
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup Macadamia nuts toasted
• kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toast the macadamia nuts on a sheet pan until they're lightly golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
4. In a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, add the basil, garlic, cheese and Macadamia nuts. Process everything in the food processor until it's a fine paste.
5. Then, with the food processor still on, drizzle in the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of oil.
6. Season the pesto with salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes

Pesto will keep for up to 4 weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator. Pour a thin film of olive oil on top of the pesto to prevent discoloration and cover with plastic wrap.
I love to freeze pesto in ice cube trays. I like to spray an ice cube tray with non-stick spray and fill each space with the pesto. When frozen, remove each cube and store in a freezer bag. You will be able to take out as many of the pesto cubes as you need. Usually one cube is enough for adding flavor to a red pasta sauce or a pot of soup.