I am obsessed with basil. Every year I plant way too much. I want to make sure I have enough to make a batch of pesto on any given day of the summer. In fact, I have plenty to share with my friends too. I leave my kitchen scissors on my back porch steps and give them “cutting rights.” I never tire of it. I love it on pizza, in pasta, with tomatoes—basically on everything!
When it’s growing faster than I can use it, like it is this summer, I make a big batch of pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays for another day. It’s an easy way to have a homemade sauce when you are short on time.
So let’s get started!
What you will really need is a food processor, so get it out now. For this recipe I use a standard-size food processor. When I’m making a quick batch to eat right away, I cut the recipe in half, or sometimes thirds, and use my “mini-chopper” food processor. It makes for a quick and easy cleanup.
Leslie’s Basic Pesto
Makes 12 (1 1/4-inch) square ice cubes or 2 ¼ cups
6 “fists full” of basil leaves (about 6 cups)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup olive oil
Place all ingredients in the bowl and pulse several times until thoroughly combined and finely chopped, scraping the sides down of the bowl if needed. 
With a small spoon, fill pesto into ice cube tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place into a freezer ziplock bag. Store in freezer until ready to use.
Note: Once the pesto is frozen, you can remove the cubes from the tray and keep them in the freezer bag. This will free up the tray to make more!
Learn from Leslie: For a quick pasta dish, simply remove a pesto cube (1 per serving of pasta) from the freezer. It will thaw in a few minutes, but if you are in a hurry, microwave for 20 seconds or until it is thawed. Drop into hot pasta and toss. Delicious and easy!
Leslie Byars Register
Yields 12 (1 1/4-inch square) ice cubes or 2 1/4 cups
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Ingredients
- 6 “fists full” of basil leaves (about 6 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the bowl and pulse several times until thoroughly combined and finely chopped, scraping the sides down of the bowl if needed.
- With a small spoon, fill pesto into ice cube tray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place into a freezer ziplock bag. Store in freezer until ready to use.
Here’s a weeknight, company-worthy dish to make with some of your homemade pesto. You will only need 1/2 cup to make Chicken and Spinach Pesto Pinwheels. See recipe below.
Chicken and Spinach Pesto Pinwheels
Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Wax paper
½ cup Leslie’s Basic Pesto
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ to 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Kitchen twine
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper. With a meat pounder, flatten chicken breasts to ½-inch thickness.
Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto evenly on each chicken breast and top with spinach, dividing it evenly.
Beginning at one end of the chicken breasts, roll tightly, and secure with two pieces of kitchen twine.
Dip into eggs, then Panko, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown. Slice into 4 to 5 slices, removing the kitchen twine before serving.
