Macadamia Cashew Red Pesto

I love pesto and this recipe is one of my favourites. It's great for low-carb diets and thanks to herbs and tomatoes, it's loaded with potassium.

It goes great with meat, in salads or even as a dip with freshly cut vegetables. After I learnt how easy it is to make your own, I would never buy the ready-made products again.

Here is why you should make your own pesto:

• You have complete control over what ingredients are used. I grow my own basil, use the best olive oil and no preservatives.
• It's cheaper. You can make pesto in advance and freeze it for future uses.
• It's delicious and you can experiment with flavours.

Tips & Substitutions

You can keep your pesto in the fridge for up to a week or two if it's stored properly. It helps to pour a thin layer of olive oil on the top, as it keeps it fresh for longer. Whenever you use pesto, always remember to add a thin layer of olive oil on the top.

If you want to preserve homemade pesto for longer, freeze it in manageable portion sizes by putting it in an ice-cube tray and keep in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Whenever you need to use it, just keep the required portion at room temperature until it melts.

Sun-dried tomatoes usually come in a jar filled with oil. I don't use the oil unless it's extra virgin olive oil. In most cases, it's a mixture of sunflower and olive oil.

Step-by-step

1. Wash the basil, peel and mash the garlic, juice and zest the lemon. Place the oil, basil, garlic, lemon, nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato purée into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

   

2. Grate the parmesan cheese and add to the mixture. Pulse again 3-4 times.

   

3. When done, use immediately or spoon the mixture in a glass jar, top with a bit of olive oil and seal properly with a lid.

   

Recipe

Macadamia Cashew Red Pesto

★★★★☆4.2 (33 ratings)

Making pesto at home has never been easier! This red pesto sauce features macadamia nuts, sun-dried tomatoes ...

Hands on

5m

Overall

5m

Servings

30

1.3 g

Net carbs

0.9 g

Protein

6.3 g

Fat

65

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings15 servings30 servings60 servings90 servings120 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes about 440 g/ 15.5 oz

• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
• ¹/₂ cup macadamia nuts (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup cashew nuts (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• 3 heaped tbsp grated parmesan cheese or other Italian hard cheese (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup tomato purée (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• ¹/₂ lemon, juice and zest or to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cup fresh basil
• ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Wash the basil, peel and mash the garlic, juice and zest the lemon. Place the oil, basil, garlic, lemon, nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato purée into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

2. Grate the parmesan cheese and add to the mixture. Pulse again 3-4 times.

3. When done, use immediately or spoon the mixture in a glass jar, top with a bit of olive oil and seal properly with a lid.

Nutrition per serving, 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

Carbs 8%Protein 6%Fat 86% of calories

Net carbs

1.3 g

Total carbs

1.8 g

Fiber

0.5 g

Sugars

0.3 g

Protein

0.9 g

Fat

6.3 g

Saturated fat

1.1 g

Calories

65 kcal

Sodium

65 mg · 2.85% RDA

Magnesium

10 mg · 2.41% RDA

Potassium

84 mg · 4.18% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Sun-dried tomatoes (in oil, drained)	0.6 g	0.2 g	0.5 g	8
Macadamia nuts	0.1 g	0.2 g	1.5 g	14
Cashew nuts, cashews	0.3 g	0.2 g	0.4 g	6
Parmesan cheese	0 g	0.4 g	0.3 g	4
Tomato purée (unsweetened)	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Lemon (juice), fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Lemon zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Garlic, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Basil, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	3.6 g	32
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	1.3 g	0.9 g	6.3 g	65

Serving size 1 tbsp, 15 g/ 0.5 oz

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan