How To Use Basil Pesto

Types of pesto

It'south worth experimenting with dissimilar pestos, as well. Branded store-bought pesto comes in several versions, such as red, aubergine, and artichoke, or try making your ain culling pesto flavours, for case with peas or wide beans. Our garden herb and kale pesto recipes are freezable, too. Whichever pesto you utilise, consider its credentials if you're cooking for a vegetarian – Italian hard cheeses unremarkably comprise animal rennet, but vegetarian alternatives can exist found. Beyond the classic Genovese blueprint, various herbs and spices can be used to make a green sauce – why not give our Thai pesto a endeavour?

Leftover pesto recipe ideas

ane. On pizza

Pizza topped with vegetables, herbs, goat's cheese and pesto

While nosotros naturally reach for a bag of pasta when it comes to cooking with pesto, it also works dotted onto a pizza base. This summery vegetarian recipe combines it with creamy goat's cheese, aubergine and fresh basil. Melt it on a griddle or over the barbecue for a delicious charred effect.

Pesto pizza with aubergine & caprine animal's cheese
Pesto pizza with artichokes & prosciutto

2. In a dip

Prosciutto on sticks with pesto dip in a pot

Take some soft cheese, a handful of breadsticks and a couple of tablespoons of pesto and y'all accept the makings of the globe'southward easiest dip. The combination of creamy basil dip and crunchy crudités volition encounter information technology gobbled upwards in minutes.

Flossy pesto with prosciutto dippers
Crushed wide bean pesto

3. In mash

Two sausages with vine tomatoes and pesto mashed potato

Stir a few tablespoons though a classic mashed murphy and serve with sausages and cerise tomatoes for a hearty midweek supper. Or, go off-piste with a mesomorphic edible bean mash – cannellini beans are healthy, thrifty and plentiful, but butter beans or borlotti beans are adept substitutes.

Sausages with pesto mash
Bean & pesto brew
Meatballs with pesto mashed tater
Sausages with herby white beans

4. Equally a marinade or dressing

Chicken and vegetable traybake with pesto dressing and a pot of pesto

Utilise your initiative when calculation pesto to meat, fish or vegetables. In some cases, pesto will overpower frail flavours, while in others it volition sing from a blank canvas. Chicken is a natural partner, forth with root vegetables, squash, pumpkin and mushrooms.

5-a-day chicken with kale & pistachio pesto
Italian-way craven burger & fries
Pesto chicken kebabs with roasted veg pasta
Salmon pesto traybake with infant roast potatoes
Warm pesto roast veg
Roasted squash with pesto & mozzarella
Baked mushrooms with ricotta & pesto

5. Omelette

Potato fritatta topped with pesto, rocket salad and goat's cheese

Pesto and eggs are a winning combination, but use the former sparingly as it tin can really dominate a dish. If you lot don't want a light-green finish, leave the pesto out until the finish so dot on acme to taste. Alternatively, you can add information technology to the mix from the starting time. If you actually want to accept your tastebuds to the other side of Puglia, try this frittata past Gary Rhodes, which also contains pasta.

Potato frittata with pesto & goat'southward cheese
Asparagus omelette

vi. In soup

Bowl of pesto minestrone topped with grated parmesan cheese

Give your blends a finishing flavour boost with a swirl of pesto. This healthy vegetable minestrone balances fresh citrusy flavours with this creamy dark-green sauce. Serve with a generous grating of parmesan and warm garlic flatbreads.

Courgette, pea & pesto soup
Light-green pesto minestrone
Spring vegetable soup with basil pesto

vii. In a stew

Chicken and dumplings stew in a casserole dish

Chicken and pesto are natural partners. The basil sauce takes centre phase in this sunny goulash with parmesan dumplings, or liven up a springtime one-pot with a bear on of pesto to finish.

Pesto chicken stew with cheesy dumplings
Butter edible bean & chorizo stew
Bound chicken one-pot

8. On bread

Focaccia squares topped with pesto, on a serving plate

Spread your green sauce liberally across freshly baked focaccia or crusty sourdough. Purists volition enjoy the simple pairing of pesto on toast, only if that's a flake likewise much of an unadulterated basil dial, tone information technology downwards with sliced lycopersicon esculentum – one of pesto'south perfect partners – and foam cheese. A stroke in a sandwich won't become amiss either, especially if that sandwich contains mozzarella, vegetables or Italian ham.

Pesto focaccia sandwich
Tartines with roasted tomatoes & pesto
Mozzarella & salami picnic baguette
Focaccia with pesto & mozzarella
Grilled vegetable bloomer

9. In breadcrumbs

Cod fillets topped with pesto breadcrumbs, on a tray

Kill two birds with i stone and use upwards stale breadstuff and the last of your pesto by whizzing the 2 together with lemon and olives, and so spread it on chunky white fish and blistering. The mix would also work with mushrooms, craven fillets or a round of caprine animal's cheese.

Pesto & olive-crusted fish
Courgette & basil pasta with pesto crumb

10. In couscous

Tricolore salad with couscous in an oval dish

Notoriously apparently couscous takes a lot of dressing up. The strong flavours of pesto will be absorbed by the grains, making information technology the perfect base for a cafeteria-style salad with your choice of cheese, vegetables and meat.

Tricolore couscous salad
10-minute couscous salad

Get more pesto inspiration

Pesto recipe drove
five ways with pesto
xi alternative pesto recipes

How do you utilise up your leftover pesto ? We'd like to hear your ideas