Walnut Sage Pesto is the delicious result of a sage explosion in the garden. It grows well in our climate, and we've had an extremely hot, dry summer, which is perfect for sage.
Pesto Is Magical
I hate to see anything from the garden go unused, so I've been trying out new ways to use up this wonderful herb. And if you have a lot of herbs and a food processor, homemade pesto is incredibly easy. It's hard to believe something so delicious is this crazy simple to make. But it is. Simply combining fresh green herbs with garlic, olive oil, nuts and Parmesan cheese is an almost magical transformation.
Walnuts and Sage Are Delicious In Pesto
Pine nuts are the traditional ingredient, but I like to use walnuts in homemade pesto. We can get them locally, and the slightly bitter, nutty taste is perfect in this sauce. There's something magical about the flavour marriage of toasted walnuts and sage. It's like they were made for each other. They compliment each other beautifully and the fresh, yet earthy flavours together just scream "fall". Be sure to toast the walnuts first for a toasty (of course), the extra depth of flavour. I also used toasted walnuts in this Parsley Walnut Pesto.
About Sage
Sage is a very potent herb, so a little goes a long way. I have a lot of sage, so I can be choosy and use just the small, new leaves, which are milder in flavour. But if you don't have your own crop, it's very easy to find bunches of fresh sage at this time of year. Sage tastes both bitter and sweet, and the pungent flavour that it adds to this walnut sage pesto is really amazing.
How To Use This Pesto
Because of its strong flavour, this walnut sage pesto stands up well to cooking. As in, heating it before adding pasta, or using it as a pizza base. But, don't be afraid to try it just as is. Try it as a dip for fresh apples or pears, for a sublime fall appetizer. And this stuff, it smells amazing. Use it as a topping for grilled chicken or fish, or grilled or roasted veggies. (Especially butternut squash).
Try Some More Sage, Too
If you want to try sage in more dishes, check out Herb Grilled Chicken Thighs, or Blueberry Sourdough Sausage Stuffing. And winter is coming. So if you want to preserve some of your fresh herbs to use during the colder months, here are some ways to do it: Preserving Fresh Herbs, 6 Ways
Can You Freeze Pesto?
Yes! If you have a lot of summer herbs, pesto is an ideal and easy way to use them and it freezes beautifully. You can put pesto in ice cube trays to use in pasta or any other sauces. Or, you can try this freezing method that I'm doing this year. From The Kitchn.
Walnut Sage Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse sage and parsley leaves, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper until smooth.
- With motor running, slowly pour in olive oil.
- Turn off motor and stir in Parmesan cheese
- Store in the fridge for up to a week
Notes
Nutrition
Hi Colleen! The recipe looks delicious. How firmly do you pack the sage and parsley in the cup? Or how many grams of both do you think you put in the recipe? I normally weight this type of ingredients for a more consistent taste. Thank you! I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Caroline, I pack the herbs fairly firmly, and if you are weighing, 150 grams of each should work. Good luck and enjoy!
Hi! I was also wondering if this would freeze well?
Hi Emma, yes, pesto freezes well. In the post, there's even a link to a great way to freeze it!
Hi Colleen, I also have a lot of sage in the garden. Good use of it in this recipe.
Thanks Dina! I still have so much sage. Looks like I'll be drying a lot of it.
What a beautiful colour! I really like the combination of walnuts and sage, I love them both, and walnuts are available locally so they're definitely less expensive. Do you think this would freeze well?
Mmmm sage, I've never tried a pesto with it before, but you've convinced me. Thanks for sharing, Colleen! Looks lovely, as always 🙂
Thanks so much, Nicole! It's quite a different, but delicious pesto.
I had to come back and tell you that I just made this, and it's everything I hoped it would be and more! I'm eating it right now with roasted vegetables, steamed chard and chicken. Delicious! 🙂
Nicole, thank you so much! ♥♥
Oh gosh, this sounds lovely! Pesto is such a versatile recipe, I love how many different flavours it can be made from.
Elizabeth, I know, right? Pesto is so amazing. I can always think of so many ways to use it, and so many ingredients, too. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Yum! This pesto looks and sounds amazing! Need to try this in my pasta.
Thanks Sam! This pesto is super flavour packed. I hope you love it as much as we did!
What a lovely pesto, Colleen. Toasted walnuts and sage are a perfect pairing. I can imagine this pesto in a Chicken Saltimbocca dish and a glass of Pinot Grigio. And I want to try it with apples for a fall appetizer as you suggest - that sounds intriguing! 🙂 I also have lots of sage in my abundant herb garden to use, so I will definitely be giving your recipe a try.
Denise, your chicken saltimbocco idea sounds perfect for this pesto!
I love walnuts and this pesto looks really good! I have no excuse not to try it, cause I have almost all the ingredients ! (except parsley).And I was wondering what else to do with my sage besides drying it, thanks for sharing!
Hey Vicky, I hope you try it, it's really good! 🙂
Now this sounds flavourful. I can just imagine this on some fresh pasta...even stuffed pasta. Perfect with a glass of wine for an easy weekend meal.
Hi Gloria, I agree, stuffed pasta, especially a butternut squash ravioli, (recipe in the works) is just perfect with this pesto.
How wonderful is addition of walnuts and sage together! I bet this tastes so good.
Hi Prasanna! Yes they are a delicious combination. Thanks for commenting!