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Home » Recipes

Creamy Genovese Homemade Pesto Sauce

Modified: Dec 29, 2021 · Published: Jul 6, 2017 · by Ramona

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Creamy Genovese homemade pesto sauce

I did promise I will come back with a really nice recipe for homemade pesto sauce and here it is this rustic and totally authentic Genovese one that will be guaranteed a regular in your fridge and your table from now on.

If you ask me about the best pesto sauce I will immediately say that the homemade one is by very far the best one to always use which goes beyond better any market jarred ones.
I just came back from Genova the other day and I said to myself this is it! Pesto sauce recipe time.

Pasta Pesto, pasta pesto, pasta pesto….  It's all I hear when I ask my kids what they want to have when making a pasta. They love it so much.

Pesto sauce! Have you made it yet? Pesto is one of our absolute favourite, ultra, ultra-flavorful sauces, and it always seems and sounds so much more fancier than it really is especially when it comes to making it.

All you'd need it's a rather larger mortar with a wooden pestle or if you do not have this (invest in one) a food processor or even a blender, would also do, not as well as the mortar but will do. It is easier with a food processor as you can put everything in but that'll alter the taste. The traditional way is a great way of keeping all flavours in unaltered.

It is quite a healthy sauce  thinking about it and all that basil and pine nuts flavours ....oh

I love pesto sauce also because it is so versatile. You can make it in advance and use on pasta, a nice homemade pizza of course added at the end after cooking the pizza (do not bake pizza with pesto sauce- it is not nice, I have tried it), on zoo-noodles or even in sandwiches.
I used it also in potato salads, potato gnocchi, over an omelette or in a soup, especially a minestrone one. Add a dash and you are on a different planet.

It gives that amazing super touch of anise  flavour. So Superb!

But…where does this amazing sauce originates from?

Pesto sauce comes from Genova a lovely coastal city in northern Italy, in Liguria region.
Every time I go to Genova where it happens that my dearest Luisa and Moreno live, Moreno makes this most amazing trofie with pesto sauce.

Trofie pasta is the best pasta to use, a typical Ligurian pasta, but trenette, linguine, angels hair or a simple spaghetti, all cooked al dente would work beautifully with this homemade pesto sauce too. However, nothing worse than an overcooked pasta. I am not even an Italian saying this but an Italian would stop even talking or being a friend with you if you overcook their pasta. ;-)) It is that serious and I soooo have to agree on this….

As far as this pesto sauce is concerned, it is such a beautiful sauce, meant to be served uncooked so try not cooking it, it does get spoiled, those flavours are unique this way and no other way.

There is a similar sauce that I like in Provence, in France called Pistou but that contains no nuts or cheese,  I will talk about that one another time though.
Here is my recipe for this heavenly Genovese home made  creamy and so flavoursome pesto sauce.

Creamy Genovese homemade pesto sauce

Creamy Genovese homemade pesto sauce

This creamy pesto sauce only requires a few ingredients and it is incredibly versatile. Made in advance can be a life savious, a delicious and nutritious one too.
5 from 34 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
0 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 117kcal
Author: Ramona Sebastian
Cost: £6

Equipment

  • food processor
  • chopping board
  • spatula

Ingredients

  • 100 g fresh basil leaves and stalks
  • 35 g pine nuts *
  • 40 g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese freshly grated
  • 35 g Grana Padano freshly grated
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt or pink Himalayan
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil good quality extra virgin
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ lemon lemon juice just the juice
Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

  • Wash thoroughly the basil leaves using only very cold water.
  • Add the basil leaves and stalks to the mortar - use half if your mortar is smaller. Very gently, pretty carefully and quite slowly, crush the basil leaves for 3 minutes (1 min if using a food processor).
  • Once the leaves are crushed, add the slightly crushed and chopped garlic, the pine nuts (or other nuts if you decide using different ones), salt, and the cheeses. Crush these using circular movements or whizz for another minute or so until it becomes a smooth creamy paste.
  • While pounding using a light circular movement of the pestle or while whizzing add the olive oil which should be a good quality Extra Virgin Olive one.
  • The source is now ready to use so enjoy it.

Notes

Creamy Genovese homemade pesto sauce_pesto_sauce
Pine nuts:
- Sicilian pine nuts are one of the best if you could find as well as Californian - if you do not have those pine nuts that are also quite pricey, try any other nuts such as walnuts, macadamia, almond.
- as cheese, only use a nice matured Parmigiana Reggiano or a Grana Padano (ideally a mix of those) and no other cheeses like a Pecorino or other cheeses if you want to keep that authentic taste.
- I was saying that the best way to make this sauce to try and not compromise the flavour, is by using a mortar with a wooden pestle but of course an electric food processor or a  blender would also do the job.
It's the metal blade that spoils things a little but hey, I do understand we don't always find the time to do things the traditional way. It’s more time as well as more effort but for t his it is worth a try and worth the effort.
- Try and prepare this as fast as you can to avoid oxidation.
- If you’re not using it all at once and want to keep some for later, place the remaining sauce in an airtight jar and keep in the fridge for a maximum of two weeks.
Try this quinoa pesto salad or this beautiful chicken roast pasta sauce. 
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how you liked this pesto sauce, did you give it a twist, all in all how it turned out for you, why not leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagramwith the hashtag #ramonascuisine. ?
Thank you for stopping by! 

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1023mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 735IU | Vitamin C: 3.6mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ramonas.cuisine or tag #ramonascuisine!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. safir says

    March 08, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, this pesto sauce was good! So well balanced! Delicious! I can have it as a spread easily 😉 Thank you =)

    Reply
  2. Peter says

    March 06, 2025 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    This pesto sauce was actually one of the best I have made. A great recipe, Ramona, thanks and very grateful you did share it with us. I am a regular visitor and always check to see whats new. I love most of your recipes 🙌🙏

    Reply
  3. Lucian says

    August 13, 2024 at 9:31 pm

    5 stars
    This is a great recipe. I always feared to attend making pesto sauce but this recipe is easy and so quick too. Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      August 19, 2024 at 7:17 am

      thanks Lucian! xx

      Reply
  4. Gary says

    June 18, 2023 at 2:43 pm

    5 stars
    It's actually a fab recipe - by far the best I have ever tried making. I did add some extra garlic and wow! Soo good, but I am a garlic freak. Thank you for sharing this pesto sauce Ramona.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      June 25, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      Thank you sooo much Gary, I am so happy you loved this recipe.

      Reply
  5. Paul says

    June 14, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    5 stars
    This pesto sauce is the best I have ever made - soo balanced!
    Thanks so much
    def a keeper!

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      June 25, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      thanks so much dear Paul 😉

      Reply
  6. Marie says

    December 30, 2022 at 12:44 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely superb. Great balance of ingredients as some recipes I have made in the past have had tonnes of garlic or too much basil, but this recipe I found to be perfect for my tastebuds.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      January 05, 2023 at 12:02 pm

      Fab dear Marie, I am thrilled you loved it 😉

      Reply
  7. Gerard says

    December 23, 2022 at 8:12 am

    5 stars
    I have made this pesto sauce a few times now and it is excellent. I made it for my parents last time and they loved it too. This is definitely a great recipe, thanks for sharing it Ramona!

    Reply
  8. Dorothy says

    August 20, 2022 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    Just as it should be. So tasty and balanced. I am saving this recipe as I have followed other top google recipes and were not as good.
    Thanks one million for sharing this homemade pesto sauce recipe and please keep up the fab work. I have looked at other recipes and I cannot wait to try these. One of them it's mici. Wow I need to make those ASAP

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      August 27, 2022 at 11:59 am

      aww, thanks so much dear Dorothy, you have made my week with this lovely feedback! I really recommend you make the mici recipe as it is one of the best no-casing sausage recipes you can make. It is super easy too and makes the best BBQ addition ever.

      Reply
  9. Jolinne says

    August 16, 2022 at 10:22 pm

    5 stars
    My third time making this. Absolutely amazing balance of ingredients and tastes like the real stuff if not better, it is homemade so it is a lot better. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe Ramona 😉

    Reply
  10. Bernice says

    May 22, 2022 at 10:51 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, Ramona. I live in Italy for a few years now and I have always bought the readily made pesto sauce but not it's so pricey that I will definitely need to start making my own. I know the ingredients for it aren't the cheapest but I will still save money plus, I will use the best of the ingredients. Thanks again for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      May 23, 2022 at 4:42 am

      Thank you so much dear Bernice, I am so glad you love my recipe xx

      Reply
  11. Gabriela says

    May 21, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    I'm amazed that I have finally made my own pesto sauce but your recipe is so nice to follow. Nice and easy on top of quick and yummy! I have to admit, you've hit the nail on the head with this pesto sauce recipe. The best recipe I have found so far so I am going to stick to this. Thank you so much for taking your time to share it.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      May 23, 2022 at 4:38 am

      Thanks so much dear Gabriela xx

      Reply
  12. Amanda says

    February 22, 2022 at 5:24 am

    5 stars
    This pesto sauce recipe is great and easy to make. Thanks so much for sharing 😉

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      February 27, 2022 at 1:45 pm

      Thank you so much dear Amanda!

      Reply
  13. Cynthia says

    February 14, 2022 at 3:53 pm

    5 stars
    Hi there, I have made this pesto sauce a few times now and I have to say it is absolutely excellent! Love, C

    Reply
  14. Paulina says

    December 22, 2021 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    This is a really nice recipe indeed. I had it saved but I have made it so many times by now I have learned and know how to make pesto sauce by heart. Really nice ingredients balance especially the garlic and lemon. Thanks for sharing this Ramona xx!

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      December 25, 2021 at 9:59 am

      Thank you so much dear Paulina, I am so happy you are using my pesto sauce recipe and love it too. Have a wonderful Christmas!

      Reply
  15. Katie Youngs says

    July 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    5 stars
    I add pesto to as many dishes as I can. This is a great recipe!

    Reply
  16. Chef Dennis says

    July 16, 2021 at 9:41 pm

    5 stars
    This Pesto Sauce is perfect! Yum!

    Reply
  17. Nisha says

    July 16, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    5 stars
    Love Pesto sauce and this recipe is fabulous!

    Reply
  18. Bernice says

    July 16, 2021 at 12:24 pm

    5 stars
    My backyard basil is going crazy in this heatwave. Time to make some pesto!!

    Reply
  19. Erin Gierhart says

    July 16, 2021 at 11:01 am

    5 stars
    This pesto sauce recipe is so easy to make and it tastes delicious!

    Reply
  20. VInce says

    July 18, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent but pulse the food processor.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      July 18, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      Haha, I like using a mortar and pestle though 😜

      Reply
  21. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

    February 23, 2018 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    This looks gorgeous and so much better than the bought stuff. I love pesto in sandwiches as a spread and we use walnuts as we have a tree. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      February 23, 2018 at 9:44 am

      Walnuts sound like a fantastic option - will definitely give that a try - I love walnuts so much -super helthy too - thank you for the tip Amanda 😉

      Reply
  22. Rains says

    February 23, 2018 at 9:40 am

    5 stars
    Have pinned your post.........such vibrant colors..........lovely

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      February 23, 2018 at 9:42 am

      Thank you so much Renu - let me know if you make it how did you like the recipe Have a lovely weekend! xx

      Reply
  23. Juli Meyers says

    February 23, 2018 at 9:14 am

    5 stars
    I vividly remember the first time I tried pesto as a teen. It was love at first bite, I can't wait to try it with lemon juice.

    Reply
    • Ramona says

      February 23, 2018 at 9:25 am

      Thank you Julie for sharing your memory- good and nice childhood memories are the best 😉

      Reply
      • Brianna says

        July 16, 2021 at 8:53 pm

        5 stars
        Bright, fresh and easy to make!

        Reply
5 from 34 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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Hey, I'm Ramona and I ♥ making healthy living easy and more delicious!! I am a full-time mother, I work and I am also a busy volunteer.

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