While a really good sauce is tricky much of the time, there are a few sauces that anyone can make. Like pesto, whose name derives from the Italian word for "pounded," because you don't make it by cooking the ingredients; you make it by pounding them together until they taste good. You can handle that. And while you're probably most familiar with the basil + pine nuts + olive oil + garlic + Parm variety, there are plenty of variations. And they're all really, really good. So get pounding.
1. Basil Parmesan Pesto
This easy pesto recipe goes big on the Parm. And that's cool, because cheese is always a good thing.
Get the recipe from An Edible Mosaic.
2. Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwich
Ordinary chicken salad can just forget about it now that this tasty pesto chicken salad is in town. Frankly, you might never eat anything else again.
Get the recipe from This Week for Dinner.
3. Arugula Walnut Pesto
Sure, pesto's most often made with just basil, but it can also be a stellar way to add leafy greens like arugula to the mix.
Get the recipe from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts.
4. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Skip the trip to the grocery store and make a batch of delicious sun-dried tomato pesto with a few pantry staples that you already have.
Get the recipe from Flavor Mosaic.
5. Basil Almond Pesto
Roasted almonds make for some pretty incredible pesto. You're about to own your next dinner party.
Get the recipe from Little Ferraro Kitchen.
6. Spinach Pesto
Go green with this vibrant, healthy spinach-and-basil pesto recipe.
Get the recipe from Miss in the Kitchen.
7. Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Salad
Not everyone has a slow cooker, but everyone who does swears by it. So get connected and then try this ah-mazing slow cooker chicken. Dinner just made itself.
Get the recipe from Lexi's Clean Kitchen.
8. Freezer Pesto
Want a recipe you can make a lot of, ahead of time? Now you can turn a ton of basil into meals for months with this simple freezer pesto.
Get the recipe from Rachel Cooks.
9. Pumpkin Pesto
Here's the deal: It's called pumpkin pesto, but you can actually use any squash puree to make this savory-sweet recipe.
Get the recipe from A Healthy Life for Me.
10. Tomato Pesto Tarts
Need a fancy appetizer, like, yesterday? Look no further than puff pastry from the freezer. Next, add a little pesto and a pretty tomato and slide it in the oven. Next, pour yourself some wine, cause you're done.
Get the recipe from Kitchen Treaty.
11. Pesto Tilapia
The great thing about having a batch of freshly made pesto on hand is that it makes everything taste awesome. So get fancy and cook up this pesto-topped tilapia (garlic breath for all!).
Get the recipe from Oh Sweet Basil.
12. Spaghetti Squash With Kale Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Cook up something crazy healthy and totally delicious with this recipe for spaghetti squash with kale pesto and sun-dried tomatoes.
Get the recipe from Oh My Veggies.
13. Raw Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Interested in trying raw food? Here's an easy raw gateway recipe that you will love (really!).
Get the recipe from Oh My Veggies.
14. Classic Homemade Pesto
If all the above recipes haven't been sitting well with your purist soul, then try this classic, perfectly delicious, traditional pesto recipe.
Get the recipe from Yummy Healthy Easy.
15. Tomato Pesto Bites
These tasty little tomato pesto bites are totally perfect for a party.
Get the recipe from Savory Simple.
16. Zucchini Pesto
Eat all your veggies in the form of sumptuous pesto with this cheesy zucchini pesto recipe.
Get the recipe from Running to the Kitchen.
17. Easy Pesto Pasta
Getting ready to hunker down with a giant bowl of pasta? Make it classy with this easy pesto pasta recipe with tomatoes and mozzarella.
Get the recipe from Wine and Glue.
18. Garlic Scape and Swiss Chard Pesto
Garlic scapes can typically be found at specialty grocers or farmers' markets in the late spring or summer (depending on where you live). They have a mild garlicky flavor, and make for some pretty incredible pesto that you need to try.
Get the recipe from Tasty Yummies.
Elizabeth Stark is a food writer with a passion for seasonal food, great desserts, and inadvisable wine pairings. Read more on her blog, Brooklyn Supper.
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Elizabeth Stark
Elizabeth Stark is a food writer with a passion for seasonal food, great desserts, and inadvisable wine pairings. Read more on her blog, Brooklyn Supper.
