Citrus Pistachio Pesto

A pesto that tastes like warm sunny California days by highlighting orange, lemon, and pistachio.

One of my favorite things to make at home is pesto. The taste of homemade pesto is just so much better than anything in a jar. The basil is always brighter, and you can play around with the ingredients to get something really unique and special. This is what everyday romance in the kitchen is really about–finding small ways to boost your home cooking that make a really big impact on whomever you serve it to. Your guests will know this pesto sauce is homemade, and it only takes 10 minutes to whip up.

I have been making my own pestos for years–I love a good sundried tomato pesto, an arugula pesto, pesto with walnuts. But when it comes to basil pesto, there’s nothing like the addition of citrus to the mix. Giada de Laurentiis shared a pesto recipe in her book Everyday Pasta that opened my eyes to the potential of this many years ago. And while I’ve played around with different ingredients with the citrus, it’s this pistachio pesto I keep coming back to again and again.

What I love about the combination of citrus and pistachio here is that it honestly, to me, tastes like California on a plate. It’s so sunny and vibrant, fresh and flavorful. It screams sunny beach days and beautiful seafood. The pistachios add a really nice crunch here that I think grounds the citrus notes. They give it an extra bite that is unmistakeable as pistachio. It’s the citrus and pistachio together that make this pesto feel special.

My Citrus Pistachio Pesto is easy to make, and comes together in about 10 minutes. Start by adding the basil, garlic, pistachios, zest and juice of a lemon, and zest and juice of an orange to the bowl of your food processor. Blend it all up. I love to serve this pesto a bit coarser than other pestos. The pistachios give it almost a thicker consistency, and I like the pesto to not be quite as saucy as others. This all depends on how long you pulse it in the food processor, so keep an eye on it and pulse it to your liking. Then add in a pinch of salt and give it one more pulse.

Now add your olive oil by streaming it in while the food processor is running. Again, I like to keep the pesto a bit coarser, so start with a third of a cup of olive oil and increase that to a half of a cup depending on the consistency. Then transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in your parmesan. Freshly shredded parmesan is going to taste best here. I am using shredded parmesan again to keep the pesto a bit chunkier.

The pesto can be served in a variety of ways, and I swear my husband would be happy with this pesto on just about anything. You can of course add it to pasta. A pasta with shrimp would be nice as it would play off the citrus. I am adding to a grilled cheese sandwich for rainy day perfection. You can also serve it as a dip for crudite or on crostini. It seriously brightens so many dishes.

I can’t wait for you to try the Citrus Pistachio Pesto!