Roasted Garlic Walnut Pesto for Freezing

I like to freeze single serving cubes of pesto for future use when I harvest my basil plants. I roast the garlic, blanch the basil, and leave out the cheese because I think it's more stable for storage that way. I use walnuts because they are cheap in comparison to pine nuts.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 264 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 bulbs garlic
• 8 cups packed fresh basil
• 8 cups ice water, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 2

Break garlic cloves off the bulb, but leaving in the peels. Place cloves in a square of foil. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon olive oil over cloves; season with salt and black pepper. Fold foil into a packet with the seams facing up to avoid leakage.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven, checking every 10 to 15 minutes, until garlic is soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool.

Step 4

Heat walnuts in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir constantly until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Step 5

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Pour ice water in a large bowl and set aside. Drop a handful of basil into the boiling water for 2 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water. Repeat with remaining basil. Drain basil from the ice water and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Step 6

Squeeze garlic to release from the peels and place in a food processor. Add toasted walnuts, basil, and 1 cup olive oil; season with salt and black pepper. Blend in the food processor, scraping sides a few times, until smooth.

Step 7

Pour pesto into 1 to 2 ice cube trays; freeze until completely solid, 8 hours or overnight. Pry pesto cubes from the ice cube tray and store in a freezer bag.