Parsley Pistachio Pesto

Parsley + Pistacios + Garlic = YUM

I love Pesto! It can be made with almost any combination of herbs and nuts and is so versatile. Sauces for pasta, marinades for meat, salad dressings, etc.

The parsley in my herb garden has been growing like crazy lately! I decided to cut most of it off and make a large batch of pesto with it. I love making a lot of pesto at once because you can keep it in your fridge and use it for so many different recipes. This parsley pesto pairs great with pasta in a sauce or making a marinade for chicken!

You can use whatever kind of nut you have on hand. For this recipe, I decided to use pistachios. You can get a bag of shelled pistachios and keep them on hand for all sorts of things – put them on a salad, make a pesto like this one, or use them as a crust for chicken or fish.

Prepare Your Ingredients

For a traditional Basil Pesto, pine nuts are typically used. I wanted to change things up a little bit and I already had a bag of pistachio’s in my pantry.

When I need to finely chop or ground spices or nuts, I use a coffee grinder. I got this tip from someone a few years and it’s a game changer! In a matter of seconds, I have finely ground pistachios so that when I put them in the blender with the other ingredients, there are no chunks left.

Using the coffee grinder gives you a result like the image below. It’s so quick too. This was honestly one of the best kitchen tool purchases – and I use it all the time. If you’re looking for one like I use, check out this Coffee Grinder on Amazon. It’s inexpensive, small, and has more uses than you think.

OK, back to the parsley! Once I cut the stems out of my garden, I remove the leaves and set them aside. Don’t worry about being too particular – a few small stems are okay since you’re going to blend it all up anyway.

Blend It Up

Once you have your parsley and ground pistachio’s, add them to the blender with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan.

I have one of those all in one Ninja blenders – the top attachment pairs with multiple different bottoms! It tuns from a blender to a food processor to a single serve smoothie maker. I went with the blender for this pesto so I could pack a lot of parsley in there without it over flowing.

Blend all of the ingredients together. You may have to add more olive oil as you go to get the consistency that you’re looking for! You can also add a splash or 2 of water if it needs even more liquid.

Once blended, add salt and pepper to taste. I give it one final pulse in the blender once I add the spices to mix it all together. I also added red pepper flakes. I love spicy things but if you don’t, just leave them out.