Pesto is one of those staples that every low carb person should have in their fridge. I think I probably cook with pesto at least twice a week. It is a quick way to add flavor to veggies and meat with little to no effort at all. I recommend making pesto a day ahead of time, so the flavors have time to marry together. This recipe is a very traditional version, but feel free to change it up by using spinach instead of basil or walnuts instead of pine nuts as an example. Keep an eye out for future recipes incorporating this pesto, but for now start experimenting on your own.
A pesto that is already keto
The classic recipe needs no low-carb rescue, which is half the reason I love it. Basil, parmesan, garlic, and pine nuts blended into olive oil come out around 1 gram of net carb per 2 tablespoons, all fat and flavor and no sugar or flour. That makes it naturally gluten-free, and it turns a plate of plain chicken, eggs, or roasted vegetables into something worth eating with almost no carbs added. A spoonful stirred into crustless pizza or spread on a skewer is an easy way to use it.
Swaps and how long it keeps
Pesto is forgiving, so feel free to make it yours. Swap spinach for some of the basil for a milder, cheaper batch, or use walnuts in place of the pricier pine nuts, which also shaves the carbs a touch. One honest note on storage: raw garlic in oil does not last forever, so keep pesto in the fridge for about a week under a thin layer of oil, and freeze it in ice cube trays if you want it to last for months. Drop a frozen cube straight into a hot pan. It is the backbone of these salami and mozzarella pesto skewers, with more Low Carb sauces and dressings to keep on hand.
Sources:
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient reference for basil, parmesan, pine nuts, and olive oil
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb pesto notes
