I've been a pesto lover since I was a kid. I mean really, what's not to love. It's great with pasta, as a dip, on pizza, or on your finger as you're taking it out of the blender. Regardless of how you enjoy it, you can now make it at home with this super fast, vegan, inexpensive, and easy recipe. (Seriously, it only takes about 5 minutes to make and consists of 8 easy to find ingredients.) It's also really versatile because it tastes great both hot and cold.
One trick I've discovered while making pesto over the years is to use almond meal (aka almond flour) instead of whole almonds. Believe me, it will make your life SO much easier and it makes a much smoother, clump-less pesto. Additionally, I've learned that you can totally substitute nearly any herb you have in the kitchen (think parsley or dill) and it'll still be awesome and damn tasty.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups arugula/rocket (packed)
1/4 cup basil or other herb (packed)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 medium lemon
1 large garlic clove (crushed)
1 heaping cup almond meal / almond flour
1 tsp kosher salt (add extra 1/2 tsp salt if using as pasta sauce)
pepper to taste
*optional – 1/3 cup pasta water if using as pasta sauce
METHOD
Place arugula, basil, and olive oil in food processor. Blend until greens are roughly chopped (approx. 20 seconds).
Add in salt, pepper, lemon juice, almond meal, and crushed garlic. Blend until smooth and thoroughly combined. You will notice the pesto lighten in color and thicken as you’re blending, which is perfect. (*add extra 1/2 tsp of salt and reserved pasta water if using as a sauce, or extra olive oil if you prefer a looser dip)
Serve and enjoy!