Zero-Waste Garden Pesto
This variation of the classic Fresh Basil Pesto Sauce is an easy and flexible way to make the most of your food waste, in a delicious fashion! A true throw-and-go recipe, this will help you use up anything in your fridge or garden, and with so many customization options, it’s perfect for accommodating food allergies & dietary restrictions.
GARDEN PESTO’S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
One-third of the world's food is wasted annually, so by making use of scrap produce and often thrown away stems & leaves, this recipe can be made completely ZERO WASTE
Many of these herbs and ingredients are easy to grow in a backyard garden or even on an apartment windowsill, vastly cutting down on the carbon footprint emitted from transporting food
Buying pre-packaged and convenience food from fast food chains or grocery stores promotes the use of single use containers, utensils, napkins, and more that’ll end up in landfills and oceans, whereas making the same meal at home makes single use items obsolete
Zero-Waste Garden Pesto
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Makes 1½ Cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves & Stems (tightly packed)
- 1 cup Garden Greens (see below)
- 4-6 cloves of Garlic
- ¼ cup Walnuts (see notes for nut-free version)
- ½ - ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (or shredded Parmesan Cheese)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Garden Greens to Use:
- Carrot Top Greens
- Parsley leaves & stems
- Spinach leaves & stems
- Kale leaves & stems (blanched)
- Collard Green leaves & stems (blanched)
- Broccoli / broccolini stems (blanched)
Instructions:
- (Optional) BLANCHING: If using garden greens that need blanching, start here (if not, skip ahead to step 2). Bring a pot of water to a boil, and in a separate bowl, prepare an ice bath of cool water topped with ~1 cup ice cubes. Separate the leaves and stems of your garden greens, roughly chopping the stems into large chunks for quicker cooking. Once boiling, add your stems to the water, cook for 2 minutes, then add the leaves and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes (stems will cook for 3-4 minutes total). With a pair of tongs or a spider (strainer spoon), remove the greens and dunk them into the ice bath to halt the cooking process. Once cool, remove the greens and squeeze out any remaining liquid, and set aside for later.
- ECO TIP: Save this water to reuse for boiling your pasta or other veggies, it’s preheated and pre-infused with flavor and nutrients!
- PREP: Remove leaves from the stems of the basil, keeping both in separate piles to use in the sauce (added at different times). Peel the garlic cloves, set aside, and shred your cheese or cheese alternative of choice.
- BLEND: Add any blanched garden greens, basil stems, garlic, and walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Mix until somewhat smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure the greens are thoroughly processed and broken down. Add in the basil leaves and any remaining greens, cheese or cheese alternative, and process until it reaches a thick paste. With the food processor on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and fully emulsified (see notes for tips). Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
- ENJOY: This sauce requires no cooking and is ready to be used immediately. Alternatively, store the sauce in an airtight container, or a container with a Reusable Jar Cover, in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes:
- Make It Nut-Free — If you have nut allergies, the walnuts can easily be substituted for an equal amount of white sesame seeds or cooked cannellini beans. This will help give the pesto a creamy consistency without sacrificing flavor!
- Ideal Pesto Consistency — Depending on the moisture of the greens, you may not use all the oil when blending, or you may need to add more. The pesto should have a silky, spreadable consistency. If it’s crumbly or dry-looking, slowly add in more oil. If it’s too liquidy and doesn’t hold its shape, add in some more greens or a few spoonfuls of breadcrumbs and process to bring it back together.
- Prevent Presto Browning — Cut basil leaves, much like avocados and apples, are sensitive to oxidation, and will begin to brown when left out. No need to worry, the pesto is still completely edible, it might just not be that bright vibrant green it was during processing! If the color change bothers you, store your pesto in a narrower container to limit surface area, and top with an additional 1-2 TBSP Olive Oil, or enough to coat the surface. This should help keep your pesto bright green!
- Using Roasted Garlic — If you’re not a fan of the punchy raw garlic flavor, you can substitute in roasted garlic instead. Since roasting garlic creates a much milder taste, feel free to add in more cloves to enhance the overall flavor of the pesto.
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