Description
A vibrant garlic scape pesto with bright citrus notes, blending fresh herbaceous flavor, mellow garlic warmth, and a zesty finish.
This recipe is very forgiving and customizable, so feel free to measure everything with your heart.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 170 g garlic scapes
- 30 g basil
- 2 lemons - zest of one lemon, and the jucie from both. If you want yours extra citrusy you can use the zest from both as well
- Start with 1/4 cup olive oil and keep blending and adding olive oil until you reach your desired consistency
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: add parmesan
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the garlic scapes, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and walnuts.
- Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and blend until the mixture begins to break down.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in additional olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Feel free to use more than what’s in the recipe card depending on your preferred pesto consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. If using parmesan, add it and pulse a few times to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy tossed with pasta, spread on sandwiches, spooned over grilled meats, or drizzled onto roasted vegetables.
Notes
- Garlic scapes have a milder, fresher flavor than garlic cloves, making them perfect for pesto.
- The lemon brightens the pesto and balances the natural pungency of the scapes.
- For a creamier pesto, add parmesan cheese to taste.
- Walnuts provide a rich, earthy flavor, but you can substitute pine nuts, almonds, or pecans if preferred.
- If the garlic scape flavor feels too strong, try cooking the pesto in a skillet over low heat for 2 – 3 minutes before serving. This mellows the sharpness and creates a more balanced, less intensely garlicky flavor. Sometimes I also like to mix it with a little heavy cream or Greek yogurt + extra pasta water to mellow the sharpness as well.
- This pesto freezes well. Store it in an airtight container or freeze in ice cube trays for easy portioning. It will maintain its best quality for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes