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Lunch recipe · from the recipe book

Toasted Walnut Basil Pesto for Vegetables

A bright, nutty basil pesto with toasted walnuts, Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, spoonably thick for tossing with roasted or steamed vegetables.

Toasted Walnut Basil Pesto for Vegetables

Ingredients

  • 2½ cups leaves60 gFresh basilleaves only, washed and dried
  • ⅓ cup chopped40 gWalnuts
  • ⅓ cup grated30 gGrated Parmesan
  • 2 cloves6 gGarlicpeeled
  • ¼ cup60 gOlive oil
  • 1 tbsp15 gLemon juice
  • 1½ tbsp20 gWatercold
  • ⅛ tsp1 gSalt
  • ¼ tsp0.5 gBlack pepper

Steps

  1. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned; tip them onto a plate to cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the cooled walnuts and the garlic to a blender and pulse until finely chopped.
  3. Add the basil leaves, Parmesan, salt and black pepper and pulse, scraping down the sides, until the basil is chopped fine.
  4. With the blender running on low, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, then the lemon juice, blending until a thick, slightly textured pesto forms.
  5. Blend in the cold water a little at a time until the pesto is loose enough to coat vegetables.
  6. Toss with warm roasted or steamed vegetables just before serving, or store covered in the fridge with plastic pressed onto the surface for up to 3 days.

Contains: Milk, Tree nuts.

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Saved in the Every Helping recipe book on October 24, 2026.

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