Pesto sauce is a popular Italian dish made from fresh herbs, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. It can be used as a condiment or dip or added to pasta or other dishes for extra flavour. There are many different recipes for pesto sauce, but most versions are simple to make.
This best Pesto sauce for the baby is super simple to make and does not contain any spice. The best part is it can be made in a single jar/ blender with minimal mess. And this recipe can be prepared within 5 mins and can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Voila! You can use this pesto sauce to make pesto pasta, Pesto Pizza, pesto dip and many more.
Table of Contents
Homemade Pesto
Making homemade pesto sauce is simple and easy and can be tailored to your taste. With just a few herbs, pinenuts and cheese. It is the best way to introduce it to babies as it does not contain any spice.
You will forget about store brought pesto after trying this healthy homemade pesto. And you can tailor the sauce by choosing the herb you like. Basil/ Parsley/ Spinach and many more herbs can be used to make pesto. Well, the way I discovered this recipe was when I had a bunch of parsley getting wasted in my refrigerator.
What ingredients are in pesto?
Here are simple ingredients that are needed to make this recipe:
- Parsley – Parsley is a good source of vitamin A & C. WIth its slight peppery flavour, it tastes great on pizza, pasta, salad or soup. I have used a bunch of parsley to make this pesto.
- Spinach – With its rich iron content, spinach adds colour and health to this sauce. I have used a few fresh spinach leaves in this recipe.
- Garlic – One clove of garlic adds a strong flavour to this homemade pesto.
- Sunflower Seeds – A great substitute for pine nuts. Pine nuts is expensive and hard to find it. Sunflower seeds is the best substitute for pine nuts. I have used 2 tbsps of sunflower seeds.
- Lime Juice – One tbsp of lime juice adds a bit of tangy taste to substitute the strong parsley floavour.
- Olive oil – Drizzle a couple spoons of olive oil. Olive oil helps to store the pesto sauce for long.
- Cheese – Add a cup of cheese to make a creamy pesto sauce. You can choose cheddar or parmesan cheese.
Instructions to make Parsley pesto sauce
It is pretty simple to make this Pesto recipe.
- Add parsley, spinach, sunflower nuts, garlic, lime juice and cheese in a food processor or a blender and blend them until they form a paste.
- Add in olive oil and pulse. You can also add some olive oil on the pesto to help store for a long time.
- Store the pesto in refrigerator for upto 2 weeks.
Tips – Parsley Pesto Recipe
Can you make Pesto Dairy free?
Yes. You can make it vegan or dairy-free by replacing cheese with a tbsp of nutritional yeast.
Making Pesto a nut free?
If you are allergic to nuts, you can choose to make the pesto with no nuts added or some amount of sunflower seeds. But any kinds of nuts like pine/ almonds/ sunflower seeds/ Walnuts can be added to make pesto.
FAQs Pesto Cream Sauce
1. What type of sauce is pesto?
A typical bright green colour sauce made by crushing the ingredients and is originated in Italy. Pesto can be used to make pesto pasta or salad or pesto pizza.
2. What is pesto pasta sauce made of?
Pesto is a traditional sauce that originated in Italy. And normally made using herbs like basil/ parsley/ spinach/ coriander, nuts like walnuts or pine nuts or sunflower seeds or almonds, cheese – parmesan/ cheddar/ romano cheese and some flavours mixed with olive oil.
3. Is pesto sauce healthy?
Pesto is healthy but it is recommended to consume in moderation as it is high in fat and calories. But the pesto sauce is made using herbs that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
4. What do you eat pesto with?
- Pesto makes a perfect creamy dip to eat with tortillas or salad.
- Add pesto on a pizza to make it a healthy one.
- Add pesto to pasta and make it a delicious creamy pesto pasta.
- Mix it with rice or risotto or vegetables.
Best Pesto Sauce for Baby
Equipment
- Food Processor/ Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Bunch Parsley
- 5-6 leaves Spinach
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 2 tbsp Lime Juice
- 4 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 cup Cheese (cheddar/ parmesan)
Instructions
- Add parsley, spinach, sunflower nuts, garlic, lime juice and cheese in a food processor or a blender and blend them until they form a paste.
- Add in olive oil and pulse. You can also add some olive oil on the pesto to help store for a long time. Store the pesto in refrigerator for upto 2 weeks.
Notes
- Can you make Pesto Dairy-free? – Yes. You can make it vegan or dairy-free by replacing cheese with a tbsp of nutritional yeast.
- Making Pesto nut-free? If you are allergic to nuts, you can choose to make the pesto with no nuts added or some amount of sunflower seeds. But any kinds of nuts like pine/ almonds/ sunflower seeds/ Walnuts can be added to make pesto.
3 thoughts on “Best Pesto Sauce for Baby”