Arugula Pesto
This Arugula Pesto recipe (also called Arugula Pistachio Pesto) is made with baby arugula, Parmesan cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and pistachios. Arugula pesto sauce is great to slather on sandwiches and burgers, toss with pasta, swirl into soups and stews and to add to salad dressings.
Not only does this Arugula Pesto sauce add so much flavor to so many dishes, it packs a big nutritional punch as well!
Fresh Arugula Pesto sauce is a great alternative to basil pesto. From slathering on sandwiches and burgers to swirling into soups, it’s one of the easiest ways to brighten any dish!
Arugula Pesto Recipe
This arugula pistachio pesto recipe calls for just 5 ingredients.
- Arugula – this gives the pesto a nice peppery flavor
- Parmesan cheese – We use Parmesan cheese for this recipe, but you could also use another hard Italian cheese like percorino
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds a depth of flavor and a rich and creamy texture.
- Garlic – Garlic adds so much flavor to pesto.
- Pistachios – Pistachios add a delicious mellow nutty flavor to the mix.
Find printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Arugula Pesto
This Arugula Pistachio Pesto Recipe comes together in about 5 minutes start-to-finish. If you want to make it vegan, just omit the cheese and reduce the olive oil to 2/3 cup.
- Toast Pistachios. Place the pistachios in a skillet over medium-high heat and pan-roast for a few minutes until you can smell the roasted aroma.
- Chop Garlic. Peel and chop 2 cloves garlic.
- Grate Cheese. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese. I use a fine grater typically used for Parmesan cheese, rather than a box grater, so there are no larger pieces of cheese that might remain in the pesto.
- Prep Arugula. Pick through the arugula and discard any wilted pieces. Add the arugula, garlic and pistachios to a food processor (or blender if you don’t have a processor) and process until finely chopped.
- Add Olive Oil and Cheese.While processor is still running, pour olive oil in a stead stream through the feed tube. Turn the processor off and remove the lid to add your cheese. Pulse a few times to incorporate the cheese into the pesto.
Find printable recipe with the measurements below.
Variations
- Use another nut of your choice, like pine nuts, walnuts or almonds.
- Make the pesto nut-free and omit them altogether.
- Instead of using all arugula, use a mix of 1 cup arugula and 1 cup spinach, or 1 cup arugula and 1 cup fresh basil.
- Make it vegan and omit the cheese altogether.
How to Store It
It can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It helps to drizzle about 1-1/2 teaspoons of olive oil on the top of the pesto to prevent it from browning. Want to know more? Check out my article – everything there is to know about Arugula.
Can You Freeze It?
Yes! I love to freeze pesto and it’s so easy to do!
- Make pesto according to recipe
- Spoon the pesto sauce into ice cube trays
- Place the ice cube trays freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid.
- Remove the frozen basil pesto cubes from the trays and place in a plastic freezer bag.
- Place the bag in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months
How to Use It
I love to keep a batch of homemade pesto on hand, because there are so many ways to use it to brighten up any dish.
- Use it as a dip for warm crusty bread
- Serve it as a side with grilled chicken or fish
- Swirl into eggs (fried or scrambled)
- Slather on bread as a sandwich spread (great for paninis and grilled cheese sandwiches)
- Swirl into soups like this French Potage and this Soupe au Pistou
- Add to basic vinaigrette for a delicious salad dressing like this Lemon Basil Vinaigrette and Basil Pesto Chicken Salad
- Toss with cauliflower rice to make this amazing Pesto Cauliflower Rice
- Drizzle into soups like this French Potage and this Soupe au Pistou
- Swirl into mashed potatoes like this Basil Mashed Potatoes
- Drizzle on roasted vegetables like this Basil Pesto Broccoli
- Add pesto to potato salad instead of mayo like this Arugula Pesto Potato Salad
Looking for More Pesto Recipes?
Arugula Pesto
This Arugula Pesto recipe (also called Arugula Pistachio Pesto) is made with baby arugula, Parmesan cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and pistachios. It's great to slather on sandwiches and burgers, toss with pasta, swirl in soups and stews and to add to salad dressings.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (packed) baby arugula
- 1/4 cup roasted pistachios
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the pistachios in a skillet over medium-high heat and pan-roast for a few minutes until you can smell the toasted aroma.
- Combine the arugula leaves, garlic and pistachios in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until the leaves are minced and the nuts are finely ground.
- Pour the olive oil slowly through the feed with the motor running, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the processor off and remove the lid to add the cheese. Secure the lid and pulse to incorporate the cheese into the pesto.
Notes
How to Store It
It can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It helps to drizzle about 1-1/2 teaspoons of olive oil on the top of the pesto to prevent it from browning.
Can You Freeze It
Yes! I love to freeze pesto and it's so easy to do!
- Make pesto according to recipe
- Spoon the pesto sauce into ice cube trays
- Place the ice cube trays freezer for 3-4 hours or until frozen solid.
- Remove the frozen basil pesto cubes from the trays and place in a plastic freezer bag.
- Place the bag in the freezer.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 174mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.
