Cashew Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor
Materials
- 40 g (4 cups) fresh basil You can also substitute some with spinach.
- 37 g (1/4 cup) cashews or equivalent amount in any other nut, like pine nuts, silvered almonds, or sunflower seeds to keep it nut-free
- 60 g (1/4 cup) Nutritional yeast
- 144 g (2/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and remove any stems from the basil. It's best to get basil that is as fresh as possible.
- In a food processor, add the cashews and the garlic. Pulse until a fine paste forms.
- Add the nutritional yeast, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse to mix in. If you taste it, it should be salty and savory.
- Add your basil leaves and mix until the paste turns a dark green color.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is running to emulsify it. It should turn a lighter green and have a creamier consistency.
- Taste to adjust the seasonings.
- Use in pasta or sandwiches or baked into a foccacio!
Notes
- If you don't have a food processor, you can use a mortar and pestle. Or a high speed blender.
- I used cashews because it is cheaper than pine nuts, but you can use other types of nuts, such as silvered almonds, macadamia nuts, or sunflower seeds to keep it nut-free.
- This will store in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Or alternatively in the freezer for 6 months.