Substitution- Friendly Pesto Recipe
And yes, I add foraged greens because foraging is the BEST!
This was originally posted on our website on December 23, 2019.
There's really no way to mess up this pesto. I've left ingredients out here and there, subbed in various alternatives, and tinkered with this pesto endlessly. There's really no reason to buy pesto pre-made if you have a food processor or blender in your kitchen. You don't need a fancy high powered Vitamix either. I made it in old blenders from the 1980s and 1990s (before the latex allergy progressed to Type I). It turned out just fine!
Before you dismiss this as an option because you're allergic to basil, hark! You don't need basil. Sure, fresh basil from your garden is without comparison with the heady aroma and unique taste, but you can make scrumptious pesto without fresh basil.
Scroll on past the recipe for substitutions and what I've personally had success with- like free weeds! There are ample options for substitutions.
As frustrating as it was growing up, I'm grateful for the style of cooking my mama taught me: "yea much."
How much mayo should I put in the potato salad, Mom?
Yea much.
But how much?
A dollop.
How much is a dollop?
Yea much.
But Mo-om!
Add a little, stir it up, and see how it tastes.
Due to how I was taught to cook, I've been able to take a few jars of whatever happens to be around, add some spices, vinegar- whatever sounds good- and make something tasty! And I've been able to keep our taste buds and stomachs happy in spite of food sensitivities (most of which I've healed), sparse cupboards, eating from food pantries when necessary, and eating from what I can grow or forage.
The point is that this is a recipe to have fun with and make your own. I almost always end up adding more salt and garlic powder than I have listed in the original recipe. Add a little more of something that you find appealing, taste it, and make it yours!
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The Best Pesto Ever Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups packed fresh basil
3 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 cloves garlic or 3/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (Most is unhealthy, but not from Foods Alive! Use discount code NONTOXICHOME for 20% off your order! You can also order it on Amazon if you need it ASAP, but my orders always arrive quickly from Foods Alive. They're one of the few companies I really, really like and recommend.)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
3-6 Tablespoons filtered water (more as needed)
Directions:
1) Add everything but the olive oil to your blender or food processor.
2) Blend or process on low, scraping down the sides as needed.
3) Drizzle in olive oil.
4) Continue to blend or process until well combined and chopped, continuing to scrape down the sides as needed.
5) If necessary, add more water. If it needs to be thicker, add more greens, nutritional yeast, and/or seeds until you achieve your desired consistency and taste.
Use on your favorite pasta, pizza, or stir fries. This recipe freezes wonderfully and I find that freezing pesto in BPA-free baby food containers works perfectly for my needs. We eat pesto weekly here throughout the year, so it has a designated area in my small freezer as I freeze it for the winter months.
I also freeze this pesto in random glass jars, small glass containers- whatever I have available that works. Just be sure to leave space at the top for expansion during freezing.
Substitutions
Basil: Kale, baby spinach, broccoli rabe, chard, collard, water cress, beets, parsley, sun dried tomatoes, foraged garlic mustard, rocket (arugula), or any other edible greens that I have left off of this list would all work. Cooked asparagus would likely work as well. Granted, these change the flavor and in many cases you'll want to reduce the amount of greens you use, but this recipe has so much potential!
If you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix, you don’t need to remove the leaves from the stems. This is fantastic for making the most of the last harvest before a frost as you can cut the basil down to the ground and use all of the stems for food too!
Earlier this year I made this pesto using fresh oregano. I would have done so in previous years, but I planted in the garden then forgot what it was, and I had never planted oregano before. I’ve since identified the oregano and moved it outside the garden, where it’s thriving. Oregano is a perennial plant (meaning it comes back every year) and it’s part of the mint family- which means it will spread and do it’s thing, giving you food, without requiring care. Those sorts of plants are my jam!
Every time I make this pesto, I also add about 25% of foraged weeds. Dandelion greens, chicory, wild lettuce, lady’s thumb, wood sorrel, and other weeds that I haven’t thought of all add a huge nutritional punch to this recipe!
Recommended Post: The Best Foraging Books
Pine nuts: Pine nuts are actually seeds rather than nuts, so they are more likely to be tolerated by those with tree nut allergies. They're expensive though and I find them unnecessary for awesome pesto. If you don't have any pine nuts, I've used walnuts, sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds with great success, but I've also completely left nuts/ seeds out and the pesto still turned out wonderfully. Is pesto magical? I think so.
Garlic: Garlic chives are a fantastic alternative to garlic. If you don't already have a patch, get some seeds in the ground come spring! They are perennials that you can trim them multiple times over the year with no negative impact. Onions or shallots would likely work as well, but I would start with a lesser amount. If you can't tolerate any of these options, I think it would still taste good!
Lemon juice: Lime juice or any type of vinegar works, but if you leave it out you probably won't even notice. I've forgotten a few times and didn't really notice a difference.
Nutritional yeast: I've also used parmesan cheese when we still ate it. Aged Cheddar or other aged cheese would work, or you can leave this out and increase the nuts.
Sea salt: Whatever salt is safe for you is fine. You might want to check out my Non Toxic Salt Guide.
Olive oil: Use the oil that works for you, though it will change the flavor. Do note that it needs to be an oil that is liquid at room temperature. Coconut oil would not work.
If you like substitution recipes, that's kind of my thing- partly because of food allergies/ intolerances, and partly because I run out of ingredients all of the time. For more substitution friendly recipes, sign up for our weekly-ish newsletter for what’s new around here!