What else can I do with pesto?

Pesto also is good on breads, including pizza and sandwiches and such.
Pesto and pine nuts mmmmm.

Can’t you freeze it in small batches for all winter use?

A spoonful in a bowl of soup is yummy, soread on toast, with a bit of vinegar it makes a lovely salad dressing.

I like to shmear it all over a piece of boneless chicken breast or white-fish, drizzle with some olive oil and bake.

And @faye is correct, you can freeze it in shallow tupperwares and scrape out what you need through the winter.

@faye is right, just fill and ice cube tray of the pesto and pop it into the freezer, once its frozen put the cubes of pesto into a ziplock baggie and put them back into the freezer. Then you can have pesto at any serving size, just take out 1 or more cubes of pesto.

All great ideas, guys, keep ‘em coming!

It’s nice on a baguette bread as well. NOM.

You could have slices of tomatoes topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella all topped with a piece of basil or two, so yummy!

My husband makes a delicious shrimp pizza with pesto for the sauce.

Let me ask you this first, did you already use up all the basil to make pesto or do you still have fresh basil (not made into pesto) ready to use in other ways?

I just had a sandwich at a “hippie deli” for lack of a better term, but they mixed pesto with cream cheese and slathered it onto a bun with slices of red and yellow peppers, sliced green olives, lettuce and radish sprouts. It was one of the most divine sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.

Pesto is really yummy on pizza, instead of red sauce. Get yourself one of those Boboli shells (or something similar) and pop it into the oven for a few minutes first, because the pesto will kind of melt and get runny if you leave it in there too long, then pull out the pre-heated shell, slather it with pesto and add sliced mushrooms or thinly sliced tomatoes or sliced Kalamata olives, add a little bit of shredded mozzarella and put it back in the oven until the cheese just melts.

For lunch, take a tortilla, spread it with pesto, Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, some arugula. Roll it up and enjoy.

I also make a delicious pasta salad with cheese tortellini (I get the refrigerated tortellini at Costco) cook, drain and cool your pasta in cold water, drain again. Add a tiny bit of olive oil and stir well, so that your tortellini won’t stick together. Then add fresh mozarella balls (also called ovolini, which you can also get at Costco or Trader Joe’s, get the balls that are the size of eyeballs, or get the big ones and cut them into smaller pieces) add grape tomatoes sliced in half, some toasted pine nuts, and some Kalamata olives. Mix well, but be careful not to break open the tortellini.

Grill turkey burgers and mix some of your pesto with some mayo, slather that on the burgers with some sliced ripe tomatoes and some arugula. Use some of those yummy panini buns they have at Trader Joe’s instead of a plain old hamburger bun.

Grill some steak on your barbecue, when it’s done, slather some pesto on top.

Roast some veggies in your oven (any combo of carrots, red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, rutabagas, turnips, portobello mushrooms, or even Brussels sprouts). When they’re done, put them in a mixing bowl and lightly toss them with pesto.

Bake some russet potatoes and put a dollop of pesto on them instead of butter or sour cream.

You can also add pesto to home made or store bought hummus for a tasty treat. Scoop it up with pesto chips.

Make a White Bean Chicken Chili and add a dollop of pesto instead of or in addition to sour cream.

Or even Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Bon Apetite!

I was going to suggest smearing it on chicken or fish before grilling/baking but @cprevite beat me to it. I also use pesto in cheese sandwiches and, when thinned with more olive oil, as a salad dressing.

One of my favourite lunchtime snacks is a slice of toast (ciabatta is best) spread thickly with pesto, topped with sliced avocado and grated cheese, grilled until the cheese melts. Yummy.

@Kardamom I still have basil that is not made into pesto.

@downtide That open-faced sandwich sounds delicious!

@marinelife If you still have basil, you can make a delightful sandwich. The sandwich has fresh basil, fresh tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese on the inside. Brush a little bit of olive oil on the outside and grill until the cheese is melted. It is fantastic.

@downtide: And the best part? You get to use “schmear” in a sentence. I lurve that word. :^)

@marinelife Great! So you also have some fresh basil leaves too.

I agree with @creative1 about the Caprese Salad

You can also make some Basil Chutney to serve with samosas, or to eat with pita chips, or to drizzle over some Indian curry dish.

Summer might be over, but that wouldn’t stop me from making Basil Lemonade

If you like Thai food there’s a bunch of possibilities:

Thai Basil Noodles or Tom Kha Soup or Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp and Basil

And for some tasty salad, here’s a Basil Vinaigrette

Or a Strawberry, Asparagus, White Bean, Goat Cheese and Basil Salad

Or for your sandwiches, how about some Basil Aioli

Or for a refreshing dessert, how about some Lemon Basil Granita

Or for a warm meal on a cold night, how about Spinach and Basil Stuffed Pork Loin

Need a little comfort food, how about this Italian Meatloaf with Basil and Provolone

Or a little bit of a Greek twist on comfort food, try this Lemon, Garlic and Basil Slow Roasted Chicken

If you are feeling adventurous, you could try making Vegetarian Sushi with all sorts of fillings, including basil.

Have fun!

I have made a killer salad dressing using only pesto and balsamic vinegar. I don’t use a recipe, I just play with it until it tastes right. Make sure you use enough vinegar to make it real tangy.

Oh, I forgot to mention, while you’re eating all of these glorious basil-inspired dishes, you should be watching This starring you know who. : )