I loved reading all your comments about healthy living and what it means to you! I think the most important thing is to define it for yourself and to stick with it. Consistency is key. And if marathons or being vegan IS what works best for you- then go for it! 🙂
One of my favorite smells of summer is fresh basil. I have basil growing in 3 different pots on my back porch, and eventually, they all get big at the same time.
Whenever this happens, only one thing crosses my mind- homemade pesto!!!
However, I quickly realized I didn’t have any pine nuts. And pine nuts are expensive. Or parmesan cheese. But I did have almonds and parmesan-Romano blend. So I decided to improvise!
Garden Fresh Tomato Almond Pesto
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1/4 c almonds, roasted and slightly salted
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2 oz basil (roughly 4 lightly packed cups)
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2.5 tsp minced garlic
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1/2 c Romano cheese, grated
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5 cherry tomatoes (or more… I just ate the rest of mine!)
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a pinch of salt
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3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
I rinsed and measured my basil, mostly out of curiosity. I knew I was using all I had, but wanted to be able to tell you exactly how much I used, because it is confusing when I hear loosely packed or packed cups. So you can make this according to weight or measurement.
I tossed the almond into my new food processor. Please disregard the pink belly that has made its way into my photo. It’s hard to keep it out of the way now.
Pulse the almonds for about 30 seconds, but not too long, because you don’t want almond butter.
Toss in your cheese, garlic, salt and tomatoes. Why tomatoes? …Why not? I got them in my CSA share this week and they were begging to be included.
Of course, add the basil, too. (Great lighting in this photo, Brittany :P)
Then process on medium speed for a minute or so. Scrape down the sides.
Put the top back on, and return to medium speed processing. Slowly pour in the olive oil through the top as you process.
Breathe in deeply- what an incredibly fresh scent.
And there you have it- tomato almond pesto!
It’s a thick pesto, but it you prefer thinner, add more olive oil or tomatoes. It was delicious on pesto pizza…
And I love that I can save it in the fridge all week and use it as a sandwich spread, or in pasta lunches.
This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto.
For 1Tbsp of tomato almond pesto, the nutrition stats are:
Calories 46.44
Carbs 0.58
Fat 4.5
Protein 1.45
And the flavor is delicious and fresh!
What is your favorite way to use pesto?
I think mine is either on pizza… or straight from the jar!
Jen says
Yum! I love pesto on pasta. We have a basil plant that is taking over our yard so we’ve been making a ton of pesto lately. This recipe looks delicious!
Donna @ Life of a Happy Blonde says
This just looks SO yummy!
I killed my basil plant (Bad Donna) so i would have to grab some at the grocery store 😛
I’ve been dying to make a sundried tomato pesto sometime soon but i’ll have to make yours in the mean time and yay to no pine nuts, i almost faint every time i see the price when i check out 🙂
Brooke @ Veggie Table says
Tomatoes in the pesto – awesome idea! Honestly, I’m not a big pesto fan but my husband loves it the most…I’ll definitely have to make this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing!!! The pink belly cracked me up! 🙂
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
ok seriously…how perfect is this? i JUST tweeted this morning about whether i could use almonds instead of walnuts to make pesto! i’ve been craving it. it’s like you’re in my mind!! love it
Maria says
I love that you can make this with almonds – I have some pine nuts, but not nearly enough. I am growing PURPLE basil right now (I’m pretty sure that’s not the technical name) which I think would make some really pretty pesto.
Who knew it was so easy?
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
I like pesto on pizza or on sandwiches — I’ve never made my own though!
christina says
mmmm. i can’t believe i haven’t made pesto with my food processor! i need to get on it.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) says
I like it on pasta best but I hardly eat pasta these days. 🙁
Yours looks pretty tasty though! I actually prefer my pesto with walnuts rather than pine nuts so I’m sure I’d like the almonds too. It’s fun to play around with pesto. Have you ever tried arugula pesto?
Jess @atasteofconfidence says
This looks great. I LOVE pesto on pasta. so good.
Lauren B says
My husband can’t get enough of my pesto succotash: sautee corn, peas, bell peppers, & white beans- then stir in pesto. Delish!
Or pesto walnut chicken salad sandwiches… yum!
Lauren says
I love pesto on everything! Okay, maybe not everything but pasta, sandwiches and pizza for sure. I just picked some fresh basil to make pesto tomorrow! Basil = best summer smell EVER.
Liz @ IHeartVegetables says
That looks delicious! and healthier than some pesto recipes I’ve seen. Plus pine nuts are SO freaking expensive! I love that this uses almonds!
Corey @ the runner's cookie says
I am in love with pesto!! I could put it on almost anything. I’ve tried it with pine nuts and walnuts, but never almonds. I’ve also tried it with cilantro instead of basil, which is a nice change once in a while. Your recipe looks delicious – I want to try it with almonds now!
Alyssa @ Life of bLyss says
oh, brittany, you always know the way to my heart.
Sherry says
This looks so yummy. I’m going to make it tonight and have it over linguine with a class of chardonnay!
Kristin @ eat healthy. be happy. live well says
Honestly, I’ve never made (nor tried even!!) pesto! I was talking to a friend about a recipe for it last night since she has so much basil. I think I might try it with spinach instead because I always have that on hand. I like the use of the almonds. Nice touch!
Katie H says
This looks so good! I am pinning it to my recipe page 🙂