What to add to pesto sauce

Creamy Pesto Sauce

Take pesto up a notch with some cream for the dreamiest sauce ever.

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Creamy Pesto Sauce
What Is Creamy Pesto Made Of?
How Do You Make Pesto Smoother?
How to Store Creamy Pesto
Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe Notes
What can I add to pesto to make it better?
What can I add to jar pesto?
What goes well with pesto?
What do Italians put pesto on?

Comments

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Micah Morton

Herby, cheesy, garlicky pesto is already a pretty perfect sauce to have around, but adding one extra ingredient takes it into a different direction. If you’re a fan of Alfredo sauce and a fan of pesto, this creamy pesto sauce merges both together into something that mingles easily with hot pasta or spreads onto bread for more interesting sandwiches. Turn a big bunch of basil into creamy pesto and it won’t be hard to find a lot of ways to use it up.

The easiest way to use creamy pesto is to toss it with hot pasta for an easy, comforting meal, but you can also use this sauce as a dip for crudités, spread it on toast and top with an over-easy egg for a luxe brunch, or stir it with cooked cooled pasta and veggies for an summery pasta salad.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Micah Morton

What Is Creamy Pesto Made Of?

Creamy pesto is basically regular basil pesto with the addition of heavy cream. This makes the sauce a bit milder but much creamier than regular pesto. You’ll also need nuts (walnuts or pine nuts work well here), fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

How Do You Make Pesto Smoother?

For smooth pesto, process the ingredients in a food processor in stages to make sure everything gets well-blended.

Start with the cheese and garlic.
Pulse in the basil and salt.
Pour in the olive oil with the motor running and process to a paste.
Stream in the cream last. You want to add the cream separately so that it’s in the food processor for the minimum amount of time and doesn’t turn into butter!

How to Store Creamy Pesto

Creamy pesto browns easily if exposed to air, so transfer it to the smallest container possible and then press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface or pour a layer of olive oil on top before sealing the container. It can then be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to two months.

Take pesto up a notch with some cream for the dreamiest sauce ever.

Ingredients

1/3 cup
raw pine nuts or walnuts
2 ounces
Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup firmly packed freshly grated or 2/3 cup store-bought grated)
1
large or 2 medium bunches fresh basil (about 4 ounces total)
2 cloves
garlic
1 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 cup
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup
heavy cream
1 pound
dried pasta (optional)

Instructions

Place 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts in a small frying pan over medium heat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until light golden brown, toasted, and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Grate 2 ounces Parmesan cheese on the smallest holes of a box grater (about 3/4 cup, or use 2/3 cup store-bought grated). Pick the leaves from 1 large or 2 medium bunches fresh basil until you have 4 loosely packed cups.
Add the cheese and 2 peeled garlic cloves to the food processor and process until finely chopped, 15 to 20 (1-second) pulses. Add the basil leaves and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and process until a paste forms, about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup heavy cream and process until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed.
To serve with pasta: Cook 1 pound dried pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add all of the pesto and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine, adding more of the pasta water a little at a time as needed to thin out, until the pasta is well coated with sauce. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Store pesto in the smallest container possible with the smallest top surface area and thoroughly pack it in to eliminate air pockets. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface or press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the pesto, cover, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

What can I add to pesto to make it better?

Because pesto is such a strong sauce, anything you do to reduce its pungency just a little and steer it toward a sweeter, rounder-flavored sauce will help. That includes selecting a good, mild olive oil; using Pecorino Sardo cheese instead of Romano; and not toasting the pine nuts.

What can I add to jar pesto?

"Depending on the taste of the one you purchase, you can add more olive oil, fresh basil or even cream. It's best to tailor the taste to the dish you're making. Garlic is also a great addition to add another layer of taste."

What goes well with pesto?

Make it a meal: what to serve with pesto pasta.

White beans. ... .

Legume-based salads: Or try Simple Chickpea Salad or Black Eyed Pea Salad, two legume-based salads..

Green salads: Make a salad that has nuts or cheese, like Easy Arugula Salad, Caprese Salad, Italian Salad, or Classic Spinach Salad..

What do Italians put pesto on?

Italian Tradition Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.