Lemon Basil Pesto

Our basil plants have been growing like crazy the last couple weeks, so there was plenty there to make another batch of pesto. Since we made Cranberry Almond Lemon Muffins on Friday, there was a spare lemon kicking around on the counter, so it got thrown into the mix. The lemon zest gave this pesto a light and fresh summer flavour that turned into an amazing pasta salad! We added feta cheese, broccoli, carrots, celery, red bell peppers, and red onion to the pasta salad. It tasted even better the next day when the pasta had time to marinate in the pesto. We served the pasta salad alongside BBQ Chicken Legs.

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 garlic cloves
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until uniform, scraping down sides as necessary.

Toss pasta salad in pesto, or serve over grilled chicken or grilled veggies.

Nutrition (per 2 tbsp)

Calories 154
Fat 14.6g
Carbohydrates 1.7g
Fibre 0.6g
Protein 6.1g

And because I love making pesto...
Sriracha Pesto
Steak and Pesto Flatbread
Spinach Basil Pesto
Chili Pepper and Basil Pesto