Walnut Sage Pesto is the delicious result of a sage explosion in the garden. It grows well in our climate, and we've had an extremely hot, dry summer, which is perfect for sage.
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Pesto Is Magical
I hate to see anything from the garden go unused, so I've been trying out new ways to use up this wonderful herb. And if you have a lot of herbs and a food processor, homemade pesto is incredibly easy. It's hard to believe something so delicious is this crazy simple to make. But it is. Simply combining fresh green herbs with garlic, olive oil, nuts and Parmesan cheese is an almost magical transformation.
Walnuts and Sage Are Delicious In Pesto
Pine nuts are the traditional ingredient, but I like to use walnuts in homemade pesto. We can get them locally, and the slightly bitter, nutty taste is perfect in this sauce. There's something magical about the flavour marriage of toasted walnuts and sage. It's like they were made for each other. They compliment each other beautifully and the fresh, yet earthy flavours together just scream "fall". Be sure to toast the walnuts first for a toasty (of course), the extra depth of flavour. I also used toasted walnuts in this Parsley Walnut Pesto.
About Sage
Sage is a very potent herb, so a little goes a long way. I have a lot of sage, so I can be choosy and use just the small, new leaves, which are milder in flavour. But if you don't have your own crop, it's very easy to find bunches of fresh sage at this time of year. Sage tastes both bitter and sweet, and the pungent flavour that it adds to this walnut sage pesto is really amazing.
How To Use This Pesto
Because of its strong flavour, this walnut sage pesto stands up well to cooking. As in, heating it before adding pasta, or using it as a pizza base. But, don't be afraid to try it just as is. Try it as a dip for fresh apples or pears, for a sublime fall appetizer. And this stuff, it smells amazing. Use it as a topping for grilled chicken or seafood, or grilled or roasted veggies. Try it on roasted butternut squash or spaghetti squash.
Try Some More Sage, Too
If you want to try sage in more dishes, check out Herb Grilled Chicken Thighs, or Blueberry Sourdough Sausage Stuffing. And winter is coming. So if you want to preserve some of your fresh herbs to use during the colder months, here are some ways to do it: Preserving Fresh Herbs, 6 Ways
Can You Freeze Pesto?
Yes! If you have a lot of summer herbs, pesto is an ideal and easy way to use them and it freezes beautifully. You can put pesto in ice cube trays to use in pasta or any other sauces. Or, you can try this freezing method that I'm doing this year. From The Kitchn.
Recipe
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Walnut Sage Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse sage and parsley leaves, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper until smooth.
- With motor running, slowly pour in olive oil.
- Turn off motor and stir in Parmesan cheese
- Store in the fridge for up to a week
Notes
Nutrition
Jean
This came out fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
I have a lovely little potted sage bush that I raised from seed last year, and this year it got huge, and you can only use so much dried sage.
This is a perfect way to put abundant sage to a delicious use. Tangy, earthy, peppery and savory.
Colleen
Hi Jean! I'm so glad to hear that you loved this pesto. Thank you for commenting; it's appreciated!