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This homemade garlic scape pesto is perfect for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or on top of vegetable soup. It packs TONS of flavor and is made right in your Vitamix, regular blender or food processor.
What I want to write is “spring has sprung and I’m sharing the best of the season with you today!” What I’m really going to say “where in the heck is spring? Why is it so cold? Where are my flowers? Stay off my lawn!”
Yeah, I sound like a cranky old man.
Whatever. It rained all day and I’m soooooooo over it.
So instead I’m going to re-share this garlic scape pesto and pretend that spring really is here. I made this years ago but last year I took some new pictures and I’m just now finally getting around to resharing it with all of you.
This pesto is PACKED with flavor and will leave your belly full and your breath kickin’.
Ok, maybe I shouldn’t sell a recipe on the fact that it will make your breath smell like extreme garlic.
But I’m not lying. It does.
But it’s good. So you should do it anyway.
If you have never heard of or seen garlic scapes just look at the above picture.
They are little twisty garlic flower tendrils that taste like bitey garlic.
They are (to me) a sign of spring because they are typically found around that time.
I have never seen them in the regular grocery store but find them at most farmers’ markets or farm stands.
They are actually the flower bud of the garlic plant and are cut off to stimulate the garlic bulb to grow larger.
Once vegetation starts to flower most of the plant’s energy goes into the flower so that is why they get chopped off.
{Looking for the perfect blender? I LOVE my Vitamix!!!}
Since they taste just like garlic you can pretty much use it in any way you would use garlic.
I LOVE using them to make pesto because it’s the BEST! It’s so intense on the garlic flavor and pairs beautifully with fresh basil and toasted pine nuts.
I put this stuff on everything too. I’m not even kidding. It gets slathered on pizza, stirred into warm pasta, and spread on paninis. So. Much. Goodness.
I like to thin out this garlic scape pesto with water instead of extra olive oil because I’m honestly not a fan of super oily pesto.
However, if you want more oil in your pesto just drizzle it in until you reach your desired pesto consistency.
That’s the beauty of pesto. You can pretty much do whatever you want.
Looking for more pesto recipes? Or maybe ways to use pesto? Try my beet green pesto, grilled lamb chops with pistachio mint pesto, grilled chicken pesto panini, pesto chicken Caprese pasta, cheesy pesto garlic bread, garlic shrimp pesto zoodles, cranberry pesto chicken burgers, turkey cranberry pesto panini or my pesto hummus sweet potato bites.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
- 18 garlic scapes, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 1-1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Water, desired amount
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Combine chopped garlic scapes, basil leaves, and toasted pine nuts into a Vitamix, regular blender, or food processor.
- Pulse a few times just to help break up the nuts and garlic scapes.
- Add in grated cheese and lemon juice.
- Turn on your Vitamix/blender/food processor and while it's running drizzle in the olive oil and blend until combined.
- At this point take off the lid and scrape down the sides. Put the lid back on and drizzle in some water while the Vitamix/blender/food processor is running until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Season with the desired amount of kosher salt and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks perfect! I love this idea! So simple and pretty!
I love scape season!