Creamy Pesto Sauce
This creamy pesto sauce is deliciously creamy with some serious flavor too. Serve it over pasta (or zucchini noodles) along with some grilled chicken and you've got one of my favorite summer time meals.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves see note
- ½ cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- cooked pasta (about 12 ounces) or zoodles see note, for serving
- optional toppings: freshly diced tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, grilled chicken, freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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In a blender or food processor jar, combine the fresh basil leaves, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, minced garlic, salt & pepper and blend well. Blend until chopped, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
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While the blender is going, pour in olive oil and blend until well emulsified, scraping down sides again as needed. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan over medium heat add ½ cup cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Heat until butter is melted. Stir in blended pesto sauce. Heat until warmed through. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
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Serve over hot cooked pasta or zoodles (see note) with additional toppings as desired: freshly diced tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, grilled chicken, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
1. Instead of pasta, sometimes we serve this creamy pesto sauce over zucchini noodles (or zoodles for short). I make my own zoodles using this spiralizer I bought on Amazon (aff. link). Rather than cooking the zoodles in water (which makes them soggy), I just microwave them for a minute or so to barely warm them up and pour the hot sauce on top. The hot sauce will soften them up a bit more so they are perfectly al dente.