Search this site

Dozens of unique and delicious pesto recipes, including some that are dairy-free and some that are nut-free. All recipes are categorized as savory pesto or sweet pesto. All Pesto Recipes Asparagus Pesto View More Banana Pesto View More Broccoli Pesto View More Cantaloupe Pesto View More Caper Pesto View More Carrot Pesto View More Cassava Pesto View More Celery Pesto View More Cherry Pesto View More Collard Greens Pesto View More Corn Pesto View More Daikon Pesto View More Eggplant Pesto View More Endive Pesto View More Grape Pesto View More Green Bean Pesto View More Lemon Pesto View More Lemongrass Pesto View More Macadamia Pesto View More Mango Pesto View More Maple Syrup Pesto View More Mushroom & Chia Pesto View More Okra Pesto View More Olive Pesto View More Onion Pesto View More Parsley Pesto View More Passion Fruit Pesto View More Pecan Pesto View More Pickle Pesto View More Pineapple Pesto View More Plum Pesto View More Pumpkin Pesto View More Red Cabbage Pesto View More Rhubarb Pesto View More Rutabaga Pesto View More Spices Pesto View More Spinach Pesto View More Swiss Chard Pesto View More Yam Pesto View More Zucchini Pesto View More DF SW NF SW SW SW SA DF NF SW NF SA SA NF SA SA DF SA DF SW SA SA DF DF NF SA SW SA SA SA DF SW SA SW DF SA NF SA SA NF DF NF SA SA DF SA DF SA DF SA DF DF SA DF SA SA DF DF NF SA DF NF SA DF SA SA SA SA NF SA

Swiss Chard Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY SWITZERLAND SA Chard comes from the Latin word that means artichoke thistle. The reason it was named Swiss is unclear because Swiss chard is not actually native to Switzerland. Instead, this leafy green comes from the Mediterranean. Swiss chard is a much older close relative of beets. During the 19th century, a Swiss botanist determined the scientific name for Swiss chard. To honor his nationality, the leafy green earned its common name. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 2 cups Ingredients 1/3 cup shelled walnuts 15-20 leaves of Swiss chard, chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, shaved 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the walnuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the Swiss chard and garlic, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Leek Galette As a landlocked nation, Switzerland is bordered by France, Italy, Germany and Austria. Swiss cuisine is therefore largely influenced by these neighbors. One French culinary influence is the galette , a flat puff pastry tart. Barley Minestrone One of Switzerland’s neighbors is Italy. Minestrone , a popular Italian soup, comes from an Italian verb that means to dish up. Thus, the recipe really isn’t written in stone. The soup’s ingredients vary from cook to cook and day to day.

Spices Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY MOROCCO SA DF Moroccan dishes feature flavors common among Mediterranean and Arabic cultures. Spices, in particular, take on a very serious role in Morocco. They fill Moroccan markets, and combining spices into unique mixtures has no limit. One commonly used spice blend, called ras el hanout , consists of 27 different spices. Among the most commonly used spices in Morocco are cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, chili pepper, paprika, fenugreek, and turmeric. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1/4 cup Ingredients 1 tablespoon pine nuts 2 cups fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 teaspoon peeled fresh ginger 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pine nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the parsley, garlic, and ginger, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Couscous Salad Couscous is very popular in Morocco due to its simplicity and affordability. It’s common for people to eat couscous on Fridays. This weekly tradition allows families to gather for a feast. During these family feasts, couscous is typically eaten by hand or with a spoon. Lamb and Candied Fruit One of the most common meats eaten in Morocco is lamb. Moroccan lamb has a different taste from Western lamb because of where the sheep store their fat. The most common dish made with lamb in Morocco is called tagine . This dish is sweet and zesty, and is usually made with fruit and nuts.

Banana Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY UGANDA DF NF SW Bananas are a staple in Uganda. From green bananas called matooke to fermented banana wine, Ugandans not only consume the most bananas per person—500 pounds per person per year—but this African country is also the world’s largest banana producer. While production and consumption are very high, Ugandan people also don’t waste any part of the banana plant. They use banana leaves to make roofs and banana fibers to make clothing and handicrafts. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 3/4 cups Ingredients 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 1/2 cups peeled ripe banana (or 2 small bananas) 1 1/2 cups quartered strawberries 1/2 cup orange slices 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 tablespoon honey Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the sesame seeds until a fine crumb forms. Add the banana, strawberries, and orange, and mash until fairly smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Spiced Chicken Among some Ugandan people, meat is reserved for special celebrations. It may be chicken or beef, and roasted or grilled. When preparing chicken in Uganda, it’s often flavored with salt and then some pineapple or lemon juice to accelerate the cooking time. Cassava Muffins In addition to banana, other Ugandan staples include cassava, maize, and yam. It’s seen as a reliable and affordable source of carbs. But cassava didn’t arrive in Uganda until the 19th century. Now, the starchy root appears worldwide in several consumable forms, including cassava flour.

Mango Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY THAILAND SW Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is also known as the Big Mango. The nickname is fitting because mango is a native fruit of Thailand. The Asian nation is also the fourth largest producer of mango in the world, and Thai people enjoy it at every meal from salads to a popular dessert called mango sticky rice. Mangoes come in a wide variety in Thailand. In the west, they are most often sweet and yellow, whereas other areas grow a more tart and green mango. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/2 cups Ingredients 1/4 cup shelled almonds 1 mango, peeled and seed removed 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger 1/2 cup fresh mint 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds until a fine crumb forms. Add the mango and ginger, and mash until smooth. Mix in the mint and mascarpone cheese. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Red Pepper Salad Salads in Thailand usually consist of a meat, seafood, or noodle base rather than greens or raw vegetables as seen elsewhere around the world. Thai salads fall into one of four categories based on the way the ingredients are prepared: yam , tam , larb , and phla . Yellow Chicken Curry Curry is crucial to Thai kitchens. However, curry’s origins are Indian. Thailand adopted this dish, but incorporated local ingredients. One noticeable difference is that Thai curry is often sweeter than Indian curry.

Lemon Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY MYANMAR SW Lemons are thought to have originated in Burma, which is known as Myanmar today. They were found growing wild and appeared to be a cross between bitter orange and citron. In the 2nd century, the citrus fruit made its way to Europe, Africa, and other Asian nations. When lemons reached Rome, Italy, they were considered quite rare. The wealthy used them for decoration as well as medicine for curing ailments such as nausea and sea sickness. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/4 cups Ingredients 1/4 cup shelled pistachios 1 cup fresh blackberries 1/2 medium lemon, ends removed and cut in half 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons honey Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pistachios until a fine crumb forms. Add the blackberries, lemon, and coconut. Mash until fairly smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Bamboo Shoots Salad Shrimp and bamboo shoots are key foods in Myanmar’s economy and culture. Shrimp farming is an important industry along the country’s more than 1,800 miles of coastline. Meanwhile, bamboo shoots are popular among Myanmar’s markets. Tapioca Pudding In Myanmar, moh let saung is a dessert similar to tapioca pudding. It’s made with coconut milk and sago. Sago is a starch that comes from palm trees, and sometimes tapioca is used in its place as it’s another form of starch—starch from cassava.

Zucchini Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY ITALY SA Zucchini and tomato are some of the most often used ingredients in Italian cooking. Zucchini is an Italian word meaning small squash. That translation is pretty straightforward. However, the translation for tomato is a bit different. The Italian word for tomato literally means apple of gold. This makes sense when you realize that it’s believed that the first tomatoes known to Europeans were actually yellow, not red. The word zucchini is a plural diminutive of zucca , or one squash. The diminutive form of zucca is zucchino , and the plural of that becomes zucchini . SAVE FOR LATER Makes 2 cups Ingredients 2 tablespoons pine nuts 1 medium zucchini, chopped 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato halves 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pine nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the zucchini, sun-dried tomato, and garlic, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Risotto-stuffed Peppers Risotto is the most common use of rice in Italy. Rice first arrived in Sicily during the Middle Ages. Over time, the rice that grew best in Italy’s climate was a short-grain variety. Arborio rice is the type used in risotto . It’s cooked in broth to create this creamy primo , or first course, dish. Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna Stacks Eggplant Parmesan traces its roots to Italy, where it’s called parmigiana di melanzane . The dish’s name comes from the Sicilian word for shutters parmiciana . On the other hand, lasagna is not originally from Italy. This now Italian classic was first made in ancient Greece.

Cantaloupe Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY ARMENIA DF SW In the 16th century, cantaloupe seeds made their way from Armenia to an Italian town near the capitol Rome called Cantalupo. The melon was then named after that town. More recently, fruits like cantaloupe are key ingredients in Armenian kitchens. While Italians are proud that their town Cantalupo inspired a fruit’s name, it was the French who actually called them cantaloup , whose English version is cantaloupe. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/2 cups Ingredients 1/4 cup pine nuts 2 cups 1-inch cantaloupe pieces 1/4 cup fresh tarragon 1 tablespoon pomegranate juice 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pine nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the cantaloupe and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Fruit Leather Nanny candy, which is also called bastegh , is a fruit leather common in Armenia. It’s made with pureed fresh fruit, baked at a low temperature, and then cut and rolled. The tradition of cooking fruit leather at home began with Armenians and Persians when they realized they could preserve fruit this way. Orzo Pilaf Pilaf is an Armenian staple. It’s an easy-to-prepare, grain-based dish that’s flavored with meat, vegetables, or fruits. Rice and bulgar are the traditional grains used as the base in this dish.

Caper Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY CYPRUS SA Capers are the edible flower buds of a bush that thrives in the hot and dry climate of Mediterranean countries like Cyprus. Their harvesting is laborious. One by one, capers are picked by hand due to their delicate nature. They are then sorted by size, and dried or brined. Capers are a very old commodity. They likely originated in western and central Asia, and there’s mention of them on clay tablets dating back nearly 5,000 years ago. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 cup Ingredients 1/4 cup shelled almonds 3 cups baby arugula 3 tablespoons capers, plus 4 teaspoons liquid from jar 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the almonds until a fine crumb forms. Add the arugula and capers, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Feta Dip On the island of Cyprus, halloumi is recognized as the national cheese. But feta could be just as easily found and enjoyed, and it hails from its neighbor and friend Greece. Feta is a versatile cheese used as a garnish or as the main ingredient, much like halloumi. Sheftalia In Cyprus, sheftalia is a barbecued street food. Its name comes from the Turkish word for kebab. One theory claims the dish got its name from a street vendor who is credited for having invented it.

Corn Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY SOUTH AFRICA SA NF Corn dominates South African cuisine. It’s seen everywhere from a porridge called mealie pap to a salad made of maize meal. South Africans even have their own name for corn, mealies , and it’s the most important grain crop in the country’s economy. Maize was brought to the African continent at the start of the 16th century. But it wasn’t until 1655 that the crop arrived in South Africa. Not long afterwards, corn took on its important role throughout the nation. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/4 cups Ingredients 2 ears of raw corn, kernels removed (or 2 cups canned corn) 1 cup loosely packed fresh chervil (or curly parsley) 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 teaspoon salt Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, mash the corn, chervil, and garlic until smooth. Mix in the butter and salt. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Sorghum Pilaf Both corn and sorghum are among South Africa’s top five grain crops. Sorghum, a grain indigenous to Africa, is used in porridge, bread, beer, and livestock feed. The cereal can thrive on marginal land and in drier conditions, making it a reliable crop in many areas throughout Africa. Mealie Casserole South African mealie pap , or sometimes mealie-meal , is a porridge similar to polenta or grits. It’s coarsely ground maize that’s cooked on the stovetop. Many people in South Africa eat it for breakfast with sugar and milk, or with syrup and butter. It can also be made savory.

Pineapple Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY BRAZIL DF SW Pineapple is said to be indigenous to the area that is today Brazil. Brazilian natives then spread the fruit throughout South and Central America. Pineapple acquired the nickname anana , which means excellent fruit. Nowadays, Brazil is one of the leading producers of pineapple, which is eaten year-round there. When Christopher Columbus traveled to the New World a second time in 1493, he and his crew discovered anana . They ate the pineapple they found, noting its semblance to a pinecone and its texture comparable to an apple. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/2 cups Ingredients 1/3 cup shelled Brazil nuts 2 cups cut fresh pineapple 1 cup fresh basil 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 1/8 teaspoon salt Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the Brazil nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the pineapple and basil, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Citrus Ribs At a Brazilian steakhouse, also known as a churrascaria , rounds and rounds of meat that’s been cooked over a barbecue are served. The dining experience reflects the fireside roasts that gaúchos of southern Brazil had centuries ago. Coffee Flan Pudim , or pudding in English, traditionally calls for milk, eggs, and sugar. This dessert is by far the most popular in Brazil, and the most popular drink in the nation is arguably coffee. Not only is Brazil among the top coffee consumers in the world, the country is also one of the leading global coffee producers.

Celery Pesto Recipe INSPIRED BY KOREA SA DF Celery has been cultivated since ancient times. The oldest cultivated form of celery is leaf celery, which traces its roots to East Asia. Common uses of celery in the East Asian region of Korea include salads and kimchi , a popular fermented ethnic food. Celery gained popularity in the late 19th century when methods for growing the vegetable improved. At the same time, celery became available at moderate prices. SAVE FOR LATER Makes 1 1/4 cups Ingredients 1/2 cup shelled peanuts 2 cups chopped celery (or 3 stalks) 1/4 cup chopped scallion (or 1 stalk) 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 hard-boiled egg, peeled 1 tablespoon sesame oil Directions Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms. If using a mortar and pestle, crush the peanuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the celery, scallion, and garlic, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms. Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months. Uses Korean Egg Roll Egg rolls in Korean cuisine are much different from Chinese egg rolls. The Korean egg roll is literally egg cooked in a thin layer, like a crêpe, and then rolled. It’s also similar to an omelet in that it’s flavored with various mix-ins. Millet Burgers In Korea, millet has been an important ancient grain since about 3500 B.C. While rice is Korea’s most common grain, many Korean rice dishes mix in millet. Millet is also eaten as a breakfast porridge.