Parsley pesto is a delicious twist on traditional basil pesto. Made with parsley, garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s great for pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and meat.
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Pesto recipe using parsley
Traditionally pesto that originated from Italy is made in a mortar pestle. Pesto means to pound. All ingredients are pounded in a mortar and pestle so consistency is coarse. It’s a sauce that you can put on almost everything.
Traditionally pesto is made with fresh basil leaves. It doesn’t hurt to use other fresh herbs in place of fresh basil.
This recipe is a twist on a classic pesto recipe; flat-leaf parsley is used instead of basil.
Don’t worry if you don’t have mortar and pestle. Today you will make this recipe using a hand immersion blender or food processor can be used.
Parsley is one of the amazing herbs that you get all year long and it makes a vibrant green sauce. It’s also a powerhouse of nutrition which is packed in Vitamin K, anti-oxidants.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need-
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Pine nuts
- Parmesan
- Lemon juice
- EVOO
All ingredients exact measurements are mentioned in recipe card below.
Parsley – I prefer flat-leaf parsley over curly-leaf parsley. Flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor and smoother mouthfeel than the curly leaf.
Garlic – use fresh garlic, no garlic powder, please.
Pine nuts – highly recommend you use raw pine nuts, don’t toast them to get creamy pesto sauce. Raw nuts are softer than toasted nuts and help blend smoothly. If you want a nutty flavor, you can toast the nuts.
You can use walnuts for a budget-friendly option. Walnuts are cheaper than pine nuts which are mostly considered exotic.
Lemon juice – always use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Parmesan cheese – always buy a Parmesan cheese block and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese from the stores usually has chemicals to keep it lumping together.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) – use high-quality EVOO. Olive oil helps the sauce blend smoothly until the ingredients are incorporated.
EVOO is also used while storing the pesto. Pour a thin layer of EVOO on top of the sauce before closing the jar in which pesto is stored.
Seasoning – I prefer pesto seasoned with salt and pepper. Always taste test and adjust seasoning as per taste.
How to make it
Cleaning the herb
Choose fresh green parsley leaves, and discard any yellow and wilted leaves. Pluck leaves from the stem, if the stem is tender, you can leave it on.
Place leaves in a large bowl of water. Rinse it well, and allow the leaves to sit in a bowl of water for a few minutes so the dirt can settle at the bottom. Gently remove leaves, shake off excess water, and place it on a kitchen towel to drain excess water.
Make pesto
To the hand blender jar or food processor add 2 large handfuls of parsley leaf, garlic, salt, pepper, pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, EVOO.
Blend until it is a pesto consistency – not too smooth, not too coarse.
How to store it
Refrigerate
Pesto will last for a couple of days stored in the refrigerator if stored correctly. Make sure to place pesto in to clean, dry airtight container. Fill the jar ¾, pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top, and close the container tight. Store refrigerated.
Thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top prevents the pesto from oxidizing and turn dark.
Freeze
Pesto can be stored for 6 months by freezing it. Pour pesto into ice cube molds, flatten the top, and pop into the freezer until the sauce is set and frozen. Remove it from the ice cube tray and transfer it to the freezer zip lock bags. When you want to use it, remove just the amount you need.
Tips
- I prefer flat-leaf parsley over curly-leaf parsley. Flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavor and smoother mouthfeel than the curly leaf. For a milder flavor, use curly-leaf parsley.
- For budget-friendly options use walnuts instead of pine nuts.
- Pesto consistency can be adjusted depending on where you want to use it. Keep it slightly coarse and thick if you want to use it as a spread on sandwich.
Ways to use it
Toss pesto with pasta like fettucine, gnocchi or other pasta.
Use it in pasta salad.
Drizzle over pizza, soup or steamed vegetables.
Spread it over toast to make pesto egg avo toast.
Spread on sandwich, burger.
It’s a great topping for steak.
Variations
- You can use a mix of parsley and basil leaves to make pesto.
- Cilantro can be mixed with parsley.
- Spinach pesto is another variation of pesto you can make. Use spinach and basil or spinach and parsley.
- Use different nuts like walnuts, and almonds instead of pine nuts.
- Add half or one jalapeno to the pesto to make it spicy.
MORE SAUCES
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📋Parsley Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 large handfuls Parsley
- 2 big cloves of garlic or 4 small cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper optional
- 1 heaped tablespoon pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Choose fresh green parsley leaves, and discard any yellow and wilted leaves. Pluck leaves from the stem, if the stem is tender, you can leave it on.
- Place parsley leaves in a large bowl of water. Rinse it well, and allow the leaves to sit in a bowl of water for a few minutes so the dirt can settle at the bottom. Gently remove leaves, shake off excess water, and place it on a kitchen towel to drain excess water.
- To the hand blender jar or food processor add 2 large handfuls of parsley leaf, garlic, salt, pepper, pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, and EVOO.
- Blend until it is a pesto consistency – not too smooth, not too coarse.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- I prefer flat leaf parsley over curly leaf parsley. Flat leaf parsley has a more robust flavor and smoother mouthfeel than curly leaf. For milder flavor, use curly leaf parsley.
- For budget-friendly option use walnuts instead of pine nuts.
- Pesto consistency can be adjusted depending on where you want to use it. Keep is slightly coarse and thick if you want to use it as a spread on sandwich.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
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I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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