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jar of basil mint pesto with pine nuts and mint leaves around it.
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5 from 2 votes

Aromatic Mint Basil Pesto

Aromatic basil mint pesto with pine nuts, lemon juice, and Parmesan, this refreshing, delicious pesto is perfect for pasta, sandwiches, salads, and so on.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Course: Dips, Sauces and Dressings
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 2 small jars (total 200 g/ 7 oz)
Calories: 477kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor
  • 2 Small jars

Ingredients

  • 30 g basil 1 oz, Note 1
  • 35 g mint 1.2 oz
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 15 g pine nuts ⅛ cup/ ½ oz
  • 50 g Parmesan freshly grated, ½ cup/ 1.8 oz
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 75 ml olive oil ⅓ cup/ 2.5 fl. oz
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or Kosher
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Prepare the herbs: Wash them, shake them well over the sink to remove the excess water, then pat them as dry as possible with kitchen towels.
  • Pick the leaves from the stems and measure the amounts you need (Note 1).
  • Mix: Place the leaves, grated garlic cloves, pine nuts, grated Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili flakes in the food processor. Pulse a few times until well combined. Scrape down the walls and repeat.
  • Add oil: Scrape the walls of the food processor again. With the motor running, start adding the olive oil. Blend until the mixture is smooth. You can add more oil for a smoother consistency, but it’s fine as it is for us.
  • Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice and blend again. Transfer to jars.

Notes

  1. I prefer to use a digital kitchen scale (Amazon affiliate link). I find that measuring leaves in cups correctly is almost impossible. Not to mention that it takes ages.
  2. Thermomix instructions:
  • Make at least the double amount of pesto, preferably more, the Thermomix will not manage to blend only a small amount of ingredients properly, but it works perfectly when you make more pesto.
  • Place ½ of the leaves in the bowl of the food processor and mix until finely chopped - Speed 5-6. Add the remaining leaves, pine nuts, whole garlic cloves, cubed Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and olive oil.
  • Blend until smooth on Speed 10, scraping the walls of the food processor a few times in between. 
  • Adjust the taste and blend again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1jar | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 1006mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1885IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 376mg | Iron: 2mg