Freeze the trays and then transfer into… Don’t be afraid to freeze pesto in jars. (I used this tutorial to learn how to harvest my basil.) Picking off the leaves from the stems can be a bit time consuming, but it’s pretty mindless so it’s a great thing to do while watching TV or listening to a great podcast. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top of the pesto prior to freezing. Then I froze the two to use on pasta, fish, chicken, and even just good bread whenever the craving strikes. Check out these.) Freezing pesto is also super easy. Pesto thaws pretty fast. Freeze for 2-3 hours, and then remove the muffin liners from the pan and freeze each pesto"puck" in an air-tight container. A freezer stash of frozen pesto opens the door to amazing meals packed with flavor. If you’re cooking a hot meal, you don’t even need to worry about defrosting beforehand—just throw the frozen cubes directly into your hot pan and wait for them to melt. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Using an Ice Cube Tray Scoop your pesto into an ice cube tray using a spoon. You can freeze pesto in larger amounts (1/2 to 1 cup) that can be tossed with pasta for a quick dinner, as well as smaller amounts (1 to 2 tablespoons) that can be added to other dishes for a burst of basil pesto summer flavor when the weather turns less warm and sunny. If you want to add pine nuts, then add 1-2 tablespoons pine nuts to this recipe. Yes! Let me show you how easy it is to preserve this incredible sauce! It can be purchased fresh, canned or bottled. Both the email and the "meat". Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with Whole Natural Life’s ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers. Be sure to leave bit of head space and the jar won’t break. If you have a deep freeze/stand-alone freezer, you’re safe to keep it in there for up to a year. STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. The shelf life of pesto depends on a variety of factors such as the best before date, the preparation method and how the pesto is stored. PESTO SAUCE INGREDIENTS. :)) Last weekend we finally got down to it. The strong garlic flavor in pesto tends to “cling” to plastic ice cube trays. The only problem with this sauce is when it thaws. I highly recommend you freeze your pesto in various sizes. Keep a look out for three cornered leeks, they come up over winter, have a good taste and can be used for pesto. Preserving Pesto. Learn how your comment data is processed. Add basil, parmesan cheese, and about half of the olive oil to the food processor and process for a few seconds. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Your email address will not be published. If you saw my last garden post, you may have noticed that we’re pretty much swimming in basil here. I rarely add pine nuts to my pesto, so this is a pesto without pine nuts recipe. I do recommend that you wash your ice cube trays multiple times after removing the frozen pesto. It will keep for 6 months in a conventional freezer or 9-12 months in a deep freezer. Pesto Freezing Method: Here is a quick one on how I like to freeze pesto. You can store pesto in the fridge if you’re going to eat it within a few days. Whether you make your own homemade classic pesto, dairy-free/Whole30 pesto, or purchase a jar from the store, even just a bit added to savory dishes can take your food to the next level. Make pesto, but leave out any cheese; Freeze ice cube trays or other small containers**, with a sheet of waxed paper pressed on top (to prevent signficant oxidation) After 2-3 days, release from the container, and put into a zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and keep in your freezer. Homemade or storebought pesto pairs well with so many incredible recipes. Once harvested, remove the basil leaves from the stems. I also love 4 oz mason jars for larger portions. Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of The primary ingredients used in pesto is basil, which is an herb that freezes well in the freezer too. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. (Quite the sacrifice, right? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Although I’ve been snipping off bits of basil for meals for weeks now, to make a really big dent I knew we’d have to make some pesto. Pesto tastes great as a sauce for pasta, a dip for breads, a spread for sandwiches or numerous other ways. I will definitely be changing my methods. We harvested two bowls about this size: It was a lot of basil, but when I looked at the plants afterwards you could hardly tell that any was missing! Frozen pesto cubes allow you to easily add small amounts of pesto to future meals. Add garlic cloves to your food processor and process until minced. 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves; 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; 2 garlic cloves You can allow it to defrost at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or overnight in the fridge. I always freeze my pesto in large jars and then get super bummed when it is gone. It can also be homemade rather quickly with the help of a food processor or blender. Ha. Try to use it up before next summer so that you can make space in the freezer for even more frozen pesto! What are your favorite pesto meals? The short version is that I put the fresh pesto in a decent Ziploc back, cut a corner of the bag (1/2" size hole) and squeeze like icing into ice cube trays. Powered by Headway, the drag and drop WordPress theme, Apricot and Cinnamon-Spiced Cranberry Sauce, Virgin Coconut Oil, Grass-fed Butter and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: My Awesome Costco Trip. In a food processor chop basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper for 10 seconds. Notes Frozen pesto will last in a conventional freezer for six months. If you’ve never made pesto, it’s really not difficult. Drizzle olive oil over each portion of pesto until it creates a thin layer covering the top. These easy steps for making frozen pesto cubes will help you preserve your basil harvest in the months to come. A freezer stash of frozen pesto opens the door to amazing meals packed with flavor. Pesto will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. During thawing, it will start to lose some of its texture. This will create a barrier layer to prevent it from browning upon defrosting. Yes, you can freeze pesto. (Like Harry Potter? I guess that just means that more pesto is in our future. There isn’t much water content in pesto and so it won’t expand much. Your email address will not be published. You’ll love using pesto in Instant Pot Lentil Soup, sheet pan gnocchi, Air Fryer French Bread Pizza, pesto chicken and cauliflower, Instant Pot parmesan garlic rice, or on top of homemade whole wheat pizza dough.