Arugula Pesto

Arugula pesto has become one of my favorite pestos to serve with meats as well as many pasta dishes. This pesto is fantastic on red meats as well as fish.

arugula pesto

What is arugula, and what makes it great for pesto?

Arugula is a peppery leaf that is easy to grow. It is also highly nutritious: it contains vitamin C and antioxidants. Our garden is packed full this year of arugula, and I have been dreaming up new ways to use it. Enter arugula pesto!

You may think of arugula as an extra pungent green. However, the smaller leaves of the plant are much milder than the larger leaves and are very pleasing to eat raw in salads. 

Arugula pesto has a sharper taste and a somewhat different texture from basil pesto. I am a huge fan of pesto made with fresh basil leaves, too. If you have basil on hand, check out my basil pesto recipe.

The larger leaves are excellent for cooking because they do not lose their flavor in the cooking process. You can cook them as you do spinach, but be careful to remove the hard stems. Sometimes I do use the large leaves in salads, but I mix them with sweeter lettuces such as Bibb lettuce to balance the pungency.

I like to make a batch of arugula pesto, put it in a squeeze bottle, and use it throughout the week in my favorite dishes. This week I plan to use it on my meatball sandwich, Venison Linguini, and my Rustic Quail Pizza.

How to Make Arugula Pesto

Follow the simple recipe below to make a delicious, versatile arugula pesto sauce.

You will notice that I use Romano rather than parmesan cheese and walnuts rather than pine nuts in this recipe. It’s a matter of preference, and you could certainly use a blend of cheeses.

Some people go old-school and grind the nuts with a mortar and pestle, but a food processor will save you a lot of time and effort!

I like to make a batch of arugula pesto, put it in a squeeze bottle, and use it throughout the week in my favorited dishes.

How to Store the Pesto in Fridge or Freezer

Store your arugula pesto in an airtight container, such a mason jar, in the fridge. It should keep 4-5 days in the fridge. You can also store pesto in the freezer. An ice cube tray is a great way to freeze individual servings. Here are some tips for freezing pesto: 

  • Line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap and fill each pocket with pesto. Freeze, remove from tray, and store cubes in a freezer bag for up to three months. 
  • Note: If you are going to freeze, omit the cheese and add it after the pesto has thawed. The thawed pesto will be a bit runny, but it will thicken once you add the cheese.

Arugula Pesto

I like to make a batch of arugula pesto, put it in a squeeze bottle, and use it throughout the week in my favorited dishes.
Course Condiment
Cuisine American, Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Cup walnuts
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 1/2 cups arugula
  • 1/2 cup Romano cheese

Instructions
 

  • Toast nuts in a pan over medium high heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave for about 2 minutes.
  • In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place walnuts, garlic, salt, pepper, and arugula. Slowly feed olive il through feed tube of the processor and process until pureed.  Transfer to a serving bowl or dollop the pesto directly on your main dish.
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