This recipe for rocket pesto is really easy to make and tastes great with pasta. All you need are 5 ingredients and about 10 minutes. If you are from the United States you might know this as an arugula pesto recipe.
Pesto is a real staple in our house, it is healthy and nutritious, the children love it and it is really quick to put together. A delicious meal in 10 minutes is absolutely what we need on a busy after school weeknight when the children have after school clubs to be at.
This rocket pesto recipe is great for summer with a side salad as it is light and fresh but also works well in the cooler months teamed with garlic bread for a more filling meal. It really is so easy to make you will never buy jar pesto again when making your own pesto is so simple and tastes so good!
Traditional homemade pesto contains fresh basil and pine nuts but this recipe mixes that up and we replace the basil with rocket and the pine nuts with walnuts. It's a fantastic switch up of a classic recipe that still tastes amazing and is full of nutritional goodness.
Ingredients
- fresh rocket
- parmesan cheese, grated
- garlic, minced
- chopped walnuts
- extra virgin olive oil
- lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
For exact quantities see the recipe card.
Directions
Add the rocket, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves and walnuts to food processor and mix on high for 30 seconds
Using a spatula scrape the sides and mix on high 30 seconds at a time until incorporated
Slowly add the olive oil while mixing on high until the desired consistency is reached
Add salt and pepper to taste
Variations and substitutions
Mix up the nuts - you can use pine nuts instead of walnuts.
Change the greens - use basil instead of wild rocket.
Additions - add a squeeze of lemon juice or even lemon zest if you feel like the flavour needs it. Don't be afraid to add an extra garlic clove or two if you like a really strong garlic flavour. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on top of the pesto for some extra crunch and nutrition.
Vegan? For a vegan rocket pesto replace the parmesan with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan.
Rocket Pesto Recipe
This recipe for rocket pesto is really easy to make and tastes great with pasta. All you need are 5 ingredients and about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 100 g fresh rocket
- 130 g grated parmesan
- 115 g walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 150 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Add the rocket, parmesan cheese, garlic and walnuts to a food processor and mix on high for 30 seconds.
-
Using a spatula scrape the sides and mix on high for 30 seconds at a time until incorporated
-
Slowly add the olive oil while mixing on high until it reaches the desired consistency
-
Add salt and pepper to taste
FAQs
How to store homemade pesto
This pesto stores really well in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. It also freezes really well so consider making a double batch, freezing half and having some pesto ready to go another day. Preparing meals in advance like this is a great way to get ahead if you have a really busy schedule and means that you still eat well when you don't have a huge amount of time.
How to use rocket pesto
This pesto is so versatile - you can stir it through pasta or spaghetti, dollop it on pizza, spread it in a wrap with some roasted veggies or use it to make pastry pinwheels. You can also use pesto to jazz up a plain tomato pasta sauce - just stir through a tablespoon or so to taste. Freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray and use a block at a time in tomato pasta recipes - this is a favourite way to add that bit of extra flavour.
I would highly recommend that you give this recipe a go next time you are making pesto pasta - it makes a real change from traditional basil pesto.
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