My husband bought me an indoor herb garden for Christmas this past year and in less than two months, it has produced some amazing results. There are six different herbs growing, but three are growing so fast, I had to learn new recipes to try and keep them under control!
One of the recipes I keep returning to is pesto. I love a good pesto, but the store bought variety is just not as good and it can often be pretty costly for a small jar. This pesto recipe is quick, simple, and can be made ahead of time. If you are like me and have an indoor herb garden, add this recipe to your mix. Or, if you are already dreaming of spring gardening, make sure and put fresh herbs on your garden bucket list!
The recipe below is very standard, but I like to play with the flavor a bit and I encourage you to do so as well! Consider changing the spice level by adding red pepper flakes or a spicier pepper. Recently, we added a serrano pepper and it was delicious! Also, if you have mint, toss some into your pesto. Mint is one of the herbs that we have growing in our kitchen right now, so I threw in a few tablespoons of fresh mint into my most recent batch of pesto and the result was incredible. It added another layer of flavor and brightened up the pesto. I definitely plan on adding mint in the future! Another variation you can make to your pesto is what nut you use. Instead of pine nuts, which are expensive, feel free to experiment with walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
Pesto makes a nice addition to lots of meals, but my favorite is pasta. Instead of marinara sauce, toss your favorite pasta dish with this pesto. You can also put pesto on fish, chicken, or get creative with pizzas and dips!