Easy Nut Free Basil Pesto
Did your life change after you discovered a nut allergy in the family? My daughter has a peanut allergy and although it wasn’t exactly life changing, it definitely changed my outlook and I developed an awareness to nuts that I didn’t have before. Thankfully, it is only peanuts that she is allergic to and is fine with other varieties of nuts. Prior to this, peanut butter was a staple in our household. It was not only good for spreading it on toast but I also used it in many savory peanut dishes. We tried almond butter but it just didn’t quite hit the same as peanut butter. My go to butter now is sun butter and I find it tastes the most similar to peanut butter.
Although my daughter only has a peanut allergy, we typically don’t keep nuts in the house nor do I cook or bake with nuts. The risk for cross contamination is just not worth it in my opinion. I don’t need the scare. I’ve always associated pesto with the addition of pine nuts but after making it without them, I found that I didn’t really miss them at all. The deep fragrance of the basil is what I really wanted and this nut free pesto allows it to shine. As we are deep into summer, my basil plants have exploded and this is the perfect way to preserve the basil. You can make a huge batch and freeze it for pesto year round. We love it not just in pasta but I also like to use it as a spread on sandwiches, pizza or flatbread. You can also add more lemon and olive oil and it makes for a fantastic salad dressing.
If you want the pesto to keep the vibrant green color then I highly recommend adding in some other greens such as spinach, parsley or carrot tops. Whatever you have an abundance of from the garden. The pesto remains green for a much longer time and does not oxidize as quickly to the dull green.
Here is the pesto being used in pesto spaghetti! It's delicious!
Easy Nut Free Basil Pesto
Recipe details
- 1 Cup
- Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 0 Minutes Total time: 5 min
Comments
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Pine nuts are a seed not a nut and therefore have a different botanical category from tree nuts ( as peanuts do) I am anaphylactic to peanuts and peanut products and have no problem with seeds or tree nuts but your daughter might be sensitive. Brava you for finding a work around for the pesto Better to be safe than sorry!!
PS it’s so challenging to avoid peanut in the American diet!!! Ugh watch the cashews from Costco…roasted in peanut oil!!
Pine nuts, like sunflower seeds, are a seed, not a true nut. In fact, I've substituted sunflower seeds for pine nuts with good results. Peanuts are a legume, like many types of shell beans and split peas, ect. so you might want to keep an eye out for allergic reactions there. What I absolutely hate is how ubiquitous peanut oil has become in food processing because it is the cheapest 'healthy' oil out there. Ironic that it's also the one oil that people are most allergic to. My dad used to barbeque chicken halves for our local fire department to sell using a vinegar and oil based white sauce and he always used soy or (his preference) olive oil. A dear friend nearly died when someone else cooked the chicken one time (Dad wa hospitalized) and used peanut oil in the sauce (Which was most definitely NOT Dad's). Our friend survived only because he carried an EpiPen and there were paramedics on scene.