We are drowning in basil over here and before watching our bumper crop wilt away, I am making this healthy skinny pesto by the bucket. It's something our whole family loves and there are so many different ways to use it in meals.
Pesto has always been a refrigerator staple in our house. Before I started cooking, it was usually the store-bought variety and now that I cook all the time, it's always a big jar of homemade pesto. It's also almost always in my freezer. Yes, pesto is freezer friendly too and one of the best things to keep on hands for quick meals.
When it comes to pesto, it's one of those ingredients that people almost always want to know if its healthy or not. This is actually a tricky question to answer and really depends on your diet and needs. On its own, pesto is relatively healthy. It contains fresh basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
This looks great but with can I use in place of the pine nuts?
Any nuts will work. You can use almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds. You can also leave the nuts out.