Name: Classic Basil Pesto Genovese
Yield: Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients: 4 cups fresh basil leaves (from about 3 large bunches); 1/2 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup pine nuts; 2 garlic cloves; 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Sardo or Parmesan cheese; 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Bright green pesto sauce in an ovate white bowl.

Some say using a blender rather than a food processor to purée the basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic results in a smoother sauce. When combining pesto with pasta, Ligurians mix a small ladle of the cooking water into the pesto just before adding the noodles; this dilutes the concentrated sauce and helps it adhere to the pasta.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

How Big-Batch Cooking Will Help You Make Dinner (and Breakfast) (and Lunch) With Your Ingredient Stash
You might have more groceries in your house than ever before. Here's how to make the best use of everything you've got.
These 5 Essential Sauces Make Summer Cooking a Breeze
Keep these easy recipes in your back pocket and you'll be the calmest cook on the block.
51 Amazing Old-School Pastas
Now all you need is a red checkered tablecloth.

Leeks With Sumac, Parm, and Pine Nuts

This side dish is flavorful enough to also serve as a main course.

Yogurt and Cucumber Soup

This luscious chilled yogurt soup, packed with fresh and dried mint, is an incredibly refreshing and cooling appetizer during the summer.

Hugo Spritz

With elderflower liqueur, mint, and prosecco, the effervescent Hugo spritz cocktail is a hit year round, but particularly on warm nights.

Spaghetti With Cabbage, Pancetta, and Calabrian Chile

Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.

Not-So-Secret Burger Sauce

Every sauce needs a few secrets. Ours is smoky, sweet, and savory—use it for burgers, fries, tenders, and more.

Pasta Alla Mezcal

This marinara sauce is great tossed with any pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that will leave you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone try this sooner?”

3-Minute Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Consider every birthday cake, brownie, and cupcake covered (in this frosting, that is).

Spaghetti With Poblano Chile Sauce

Mexican pasta probably isn’t something you’ve thought about before, but this poblano sauce may have you rethinking your devotion to the red variety.

Recipe notes

How Big-Batch Cooking Will Help You Make Dinner (and Breakfast) (and Lunch) With Your Ingredient Stash

These 5 Essential Sauces Make Summer Cooking a Breeze

51 Amazing Old-School Pastas