Pesto: Pantry Possibilities
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Having a foundation for your favorite dishes allows you to make the things you love several different ways. Sometimes, it’s about combining items creatively in order to avoid food waste. Other times, it’s simply about trying to use what you already have on hand. When trips to the grocery store are limited, or you just plain don’t have time, it’s comforting to be able to find alternatives to the dishes you love.
Pesto is an easy, nutritious addition to a dish. The best part? It can be almost anything you want it to be. You can choose the flavors you want to highlight, add, and subtract. Making pesto is a great option for throwing something together at home, using what you have to create a delicious dish full of flavor. A boring pasta becomes a tasty, green-loaded dish. Rice is tossed in bell pepper-goodness. Roasted veggies are coated in tasty flavors from the garden.
The chart below compares a traditional pesto with the variety of options you could choose to create your own. To create your pesto you will need a food processor or a blender:
Traditional Pesto | Substitutions and Other Options |
Nuts / Protein
|
Nuts / Protein
nutrition tip: if you have a nut allergy, or simply don’t like them, try adding beans for protein
|
Greens / Vegetables
|
Greens / Vegetables
nutrition tips:
|
Cheese
|
Cheese
nutrition tip: for allergies, intolerance, or personal preference you can omit the cheese entirely and add more of your protein choice (above) OR use nutritional yeast as a substitute |
Oil and Spice
|
Oil and Spice
|
BLEND
Blend or process your items to a paste-like consistency. You can add more liquid if you would like a soupier consistency (water or more olive oil). If you have a soupy consistency and you would like to thicken your pesto, try adding more nuts, beans, cheese, or nutritional yeast (or any combination of these).
TIP: TASTE AS YOU GO
Don’t be afraid to sample a little spoonful while you’re completing your pesto. This will help YOU discover YOUR preferred consistency and flavor combination.
ADD TO YOUR DISH
Another testament to pesto’s versatility is the variety of ways in which you can use it. You can toss your prepared pasta, gnocchi, and rice in it (choose whole grain and brown whenever possible). You can top your prepared meat with it; steak, fish and seafood, and chicken. You can marinate and sear your meat using the pesto. You can coat raw vegetables in it and roast them OR roast your vegetables first and add the pesto as a fresh sauce. You can use pesto as a salad dressing or a dip, as a pizza sauce or spread on sandwiches. Explore and be creative. The possibilities for enjoying your pesto are endless!