Putting Pesto to Work

I spent years wondering "What is the big deal about pesto?" I had tried some recipes using store-bought pesto, and my impression was "meh." The one day a couple of years back, I picked up my basket from Bountiful Baskets and discovered several large fennel bulbs. Not only had I never cooked fennel before, but I couldn't see just tossing those lovely fronds into the compost heap.

So, I tracked down some recipes and made fennel frond pesto. Good-bye "meh", hello "YUM!" Since that first experiment, I have made pesto out of leek leaves (you have to par boil them first - more work, didn't like the flavor as much), kale (another huge YUM), and eventually even basil (took me a while to get around to that because we kept using all of our basil making caprese salads with our fresh tomatoes).

When I recently ended up with a ton of cilantro in my Basket, I decided to make - you guessed it - cilantro pesto. I used this recipe but added garlic (because, really...pesto without garlic? Who does that?) and some jalapenos. And I ended up with 2 large jars and one small jar - and it is one of the least expensive ways of making pesto I have found!

Thankfully my amazing dad, whom I lost just over a year ago, had told me that as long as the surface of the pesto is covered with olive oil, it will last quite a while in the fridge. He'd also given me many pesto-making tips (did you know that adding the garlic to the food processor can make it bitter because of the way it heats it up? Neither did I!) as well as a fabulous mortar and pestle (shown here with kale pesto).



So, it was time to put it to work. Here's what we've done so far...


  1. Sandwich 1: We added it to egg salad to make a pesto egg salad sandwich, mixing it about 50/50 with the mayo.  
  2. Sandwich 2: We used it as a condiment on our grilled ham and cheese sandwich.
  3. Sandwich 3: Mixed it into our chicken salad recipe - again 50/50 with mayo.
  4. Pizza! Replaced the tomato-based sauce with the pesto. Add toppings of choice, and go for it! We kept it simple with onions, ham and mushrooms, but wished we'd had some sun-dried tomatoes.
  5. Pasta :) Tossed it with some pasta, sauteed onions, and fresh cherub tomatoes.
  6. Potatoes: Add some on top of your fried or baked potatoes.
  7. Eggs: Make green eggs by adding a spoonful on top of scrambled or over-medium eggs.
There are many other ways to enjoy pesto. I would love to hear some of your favorite ways to use pesto - add those notes to the comment section :)

I'd also love to hear about different ways you like to make pesto - what green and nut combo is your favorite?

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I would love to hear feedback or about any adaptations you have made to any recipes.

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