Le Pistou (Vegan Pesto)

Submitted by Dina Cohen

"Pistou is the French equivalent of Italian Pesto but it doesn't have cheese so it's perfect for vegan. This recipe is flavorful and works great as a spread for sandwiches or with penne pasta."

 

• Ready In: 10mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 3

ingredients

• 1 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 3 -4 cups fresh basil, sliced
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
• 1⁄2 lemon juice

directions

1. Combine all ingredients and blend well until smooth but not too mushy.
2. Add salt, lemon or olive oil if necessary.

Reviews

[drbecca26]

I discovered a fantastic source for cheap basil (even in winter)...my local Asian market...big bunches for 99 cents each! So I have been making a lot of pesto and this is by far my favorite recipe...I make it using toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts, just because that's what I have and they are cheaper and taste-wise, to me, there is no difference between this and "traditional" pesto...as far as the salt, I usually eyeball that in all recipes, so I don't really have much of an opinion to offer as to whether a tablespoon is too much, other than to say that I probably eyeball a bit less than that. But this stuff is great, really, and I love to keep tons in the freezer in little portions so I can grab it when I need it!

 

[Enjolinfam]

I made this twice. The first time I made it by following all the directions, but the tablespoon of salt was overpowering. I made another batch with 3/4 teaspoon salt and it tasted fantastic! You could probably add a full teaspoon or a little more and it would still be really good. I ended up adding more oil to the first batch and then mixing the two batches together so one wouldn't be too overpowering. I served this to my family and some friends and got rave reviews. I will make this again...with less salt. :)