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8 Easy Pesto Recipes

Liven up dinner with all the pestos you could ever need (ready in 10 minutes flat!).
Beautiful basil pesto recipe

(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Let these DIY pestos put a little spring in your step this season. They'll liven up salads, roasted vegetables, simple pastas, grilled skewers and even grilled fish—depending on what you're in the mood for, these recipes can do it all. Find new ways to add fresh flavour to dinner in the gallery below:

Spring Greens Pesto

This spring greens pesto fights food waste, and is as flexible as it is tasty. "My farm box pesto used all my excess herbs and greens and even things I normally composted (like carrot and radish tops). The resulting silky, luscious sauce was so good that I dunked bread crusts into the blender for mid-way taste tests," writer Vanessa Chiasson says. Get our spring greens pesto recipe.

A blue bowl holding spring greens pesto beside a spoon.(Photo: Vanessa Chiasson)

Asparagus Pesto

Loaded with mint, lemon juice, almonds and parmesan, this is great on pasta or served with pita as a dip. Get this asparagus pesto recipe.

A bowl of asparagus pesto in a bowl surrounded by asparagus, dried noodle nests, and garlic.(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

Onion-Basil Pesto

Change up pesto’s traditional flavour profile with onion, spanish cheese and walnuts. Get this onion-basil pesto recipe.

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Overhead shot of onion-basil pesto in a white bowl with a silver spoon beside it on a white background.(Photo: Erik Putz)

Mexican Pesto

Serve this cilantro and serrano pesto on grilled veggie or meat skewers, with pasta or over grilled chicken. Get this Mexican pesto recipe.

Overhead shot of Mexican pesto in a white bowl with a spoon on a white background.(Photo: Erik Putz)

Kale Pesto

There are so many healthy ingredients in this pesto, you’d be forgiven for assuming it won’t taste as delicious as it does. Get the kale pesto (on pasta) recipe.

a white saucepan filled with kale-pesto pasta; the pesto is made with kale; parmesan; walnuts and edamame and garlic and olive oil; the pasta is tagliatelle; for a post on an easy, healthy weeknight kale-pesto pasta recipe(Photo: Erik Putz)

Vegan Carrot Pesto

A vegan-friendly pesto with carrots, thyme, garlic and hemp. Get this vegan carrot pesto recipe.

Overhead shot of vegan carrot pesto in a white bowl with a silver spoon on a white background.(Photo: Erik Putz)

Kale-Walnut Pesto

Who says pesto has to be all about the basil and pine nuts? Give kale and walnuts a whirl in the processor—you won’t be disappointed. Get this kale-walnut pesto recipe.

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three glass jars containing barbecue condiments; the middle one holds kale-walnut pesto for a post on an easy kale-walnut pesto recipe(Photo: Erik Putz)

Garlic Scapes Pesto

Use garlic scape pesto in the same way you would use any pesto: toss with pasta, salad dressing, or toss with vegetables like blanched green beans. Get our garlic scapes pesto recipe.

Overhead view of a bowl of garlic scapes pesto on a white background.

Beautiful Basil Pesto

Use this beautiful basil pesto recipe to make any dish extraordinary.

Brightly coloured green basil pesto in a mason jar beside other sauces in jars.

Pesto-Burrata Salad

With juicy tomatoes, creamy burrata cheese and garden-fresh pesto, this salad is nothing short of summer on a fork. Get this pesto-burrata salad recipe.

Pesto-Burrata Salad with ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, cored and wedged; pesto, fresh basil and burrata on a wood table on a black plate next to serving tongs(Photo: Roberto Caruso)

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The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

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