Food & Wine’s best pesto recipes.

Slideshow: Italian American Classics

Cooking Guides:
Italian

5 Variations on Pesto

1. Handmade Pesto

Pounding the ingredients in a mortar produces a pesto of incomparable texture: silky basil leaves and olive oil bind coarser bits of garlic and Parmesan.

2. Olive-Mint Pesto

Try using a mix of brine- and oil-cured olives for a more complex pesto; our favorites are green Sicilian, Calamata, Cerignola and oil-cured Moroccan.

3. Charred Poblano and Garlic Pesto

“This is a winner. I make it a lot. It is great with chicken.”
—Posted by GigiGool on May 28, 2008

4. Mint Pesto

Riff on the classic pairing of mint and lamb by kneading mint pesto into ground lamb, grilling the patties, then crumbling them into an orzo-and-feta salad.

5. Spicy Cilantro Pesto

This fresh pesto was inspired by the Moroccan spice-and-herb vinaigrette charmoula.