Pesto is a sauce made of basil, pinenuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. You can brush it on grilled shrimp or chicken, add it to pasta or make a pasta salad with it, or drizzle it over a Caprese salad. This recipe makes about a cup of pesto and there are 16 tablespoons in 1 cup. 1 tablespoon is 2 smart points.
Ingredients for Homemade Pesto
Are you wondering why I used a specific ingredient for a recipe? Check out this section for substitutes as well.
Fresh Basil: do not use dried basil here, always use fresh from a garden or the supermarket.
Fresh Parmesan: You can grate your own parmesan cheese or buy the stuff pre-shredded in the bag.
Pinenuts - These nuts can get a little spendy per pound. If you are looking for another type of nut that can be subbed instead of pinenuts, try walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
Olive Oil - Stream the olive oil in after the above ingredients are well blended
How to Make Homemade Pesto
Add the basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper to taste to a food processor or blender. Process half of these ingredients first before adding in the olive oil.
Stream in the olive oil while the blender is processing the other ingredients. Continue blending until well combined, adding additional olive oil if needed.
Store the pesto in a jar or plastic container with an airtight lid. It will last in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze homemade pesto in ice cube trays.
Other Great Pesto Recipes for Summer
Kale Pesto with Toasted Pinenuts
Italian Pasta Salad - Weight Watchers
*If you make this recipe please comment and rate the recipe below to let everyone know how it is, or tag me on Instagram! If you want to upload a photo yoHow do you figure out points for recipes?
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Homemade Pesto
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the basil leaves, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper to taste to a food processor or blender. Process half of these ingredients first before adding in the olive oil.
- Stream in the olive oil while the blender is processing the other ingredients. Continue blending until well combined, adding additional olive oil if needed.
- Store the pesto in a jar or plastic container with an airtight lid. It will last in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze homemade pesto in ice cube trays.
Notes
my WW: blue 2; green 2; purple: 2 (1 tablespoon)
- Category: Easy
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Keywords: homemade pesto
How do you figure out points for recipes?
The recipe builder app from WW is what I use to figure out points for all my recipes. It comes with your WW membership. I would suggest entering my recipes into the builder once you’ve tried it and liked it. That way you can easily track your day. It is also helpful to use if you have a question about the points regarding a recipe.
Why am I still getting different points?
This could be quite a number of reasons and here are a few that I have come across.
- Number of servings
- Low-Fat vs Fat-Free ingredients
- Zero Point foods are different for all 3 plans
- Using the nutrition info calculator instead of the recipe builder
Jenna says
Thanks Nancy!
Nancy says
Finally have my own basil and this was the first pesto recipe I tried. Big success! Guest commented that it was tastier than the pesto her friend makes and the friend is a local chef! Used my blender, but should have used a food processor. Next time.
★★★★★