Jalapeno Basil Pesto

If you’re tired of tomato-based pasta sauces and bread dips, check out this spicy pesto sauce, which has a jalapeno kick and uses walnuts to accentuate the texture. It’s possible to make this pesto with a blender, but a food processor is highly recommended to obtain the best results. A great springtime lunch – perfect for a lunch snack or a pasta dinner.

Since most of us use pesto in small amounts, the chefs give a great tip at the end of the video about freezing the pesto in ice cube trays for later use.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil (plus additional as needed for serving)
Salt – to taste
Black pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Preparation Process

Separate the basil leaves from their stems, rinse and place on a paper towel, then cover with another paper towel and dab until dry.

Add the olive oil to a pan and heat on medium. Turn to high heat and sauté the garlic and jalapeno on high heat until the garlic turns light brown and the skin of the jalapeno starts to blister.

Add the walnuts into a food processor and pulse lightly, then add the jalapeno and garlic and pulse lightly again.

Add the basil leaves and pulse until roughly chopped, then slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to pulse

Add in the parmesan and process for another 15 seconds until mixture is smooth

Pour the pesto into a bowl and add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste

Serve as a dip with bread or on top of the pasta of your choice.

Want to make this and need the written instructions? Just click here to download the full recipe.