Today I’m sharing this easy sage pesto recipe because sage grew SO well in my DIY cold frame garden boxes! If you had a bumper crop of sage in your garden – or just want to experiment with pesto flavors beyond basil – I hope you’ll love this sage pesto.
What is Sage?
Sage is an aromatic herb from the mint family! It has a unique flavor that is earthy and a bit peppery – and you’ll almost taste a hint of mint. It’s a common ingredient in many recipes, and in grocery stores it’s available fresh, dried, or powdered/ground. You’ll find it in a lot of meat dishes because sage is said to aid in the digestion of fatty, oily meals.
Is There Sage Pesto?
I’ve never seen sage pesto at the grocery store – only basil pesto – but I had so much sage grow in my garden this year that I wanted to experiment with making sage pesto. I replaced my usual homemade basil pesto recipe with sage and it worked deliciously well. So there is a sage pesto in my repertoire now, and I love it. I love pesto in general, though, and this twist on the classic recipe adds interest to traditional pesto dishes.
Is Sage Good in Pesto?
Sage is delicious in pesto! You can replace basil entirely with sage, or also mix the two herbs together. At first, it takes a minute to adjust the taste buds because you look at the dish and expect the familiar taste of basil pesto, but the sage pesto is equally tasty – just different! A little spicier. It goes without saying that you need to enjoy the flavor of sage to enjoy this sage pesto. You can also make this with walnuts instead of pine nuts to really mix things up.
How to Enjoy Sage Pesto
There are lots of delicious ways to enjoy your homemade sage pesto:
- Toss grilled or roasted veggies with pesto
- Toss roasted mini potatoes with pesto
- Make a delicious veggie sandwich and use pesto as a condiment
- Toss pasta or gnocchi in homemade pesto and top with grated parmesan
- Spread sage pesto onto homemade pizza
- Use sage pesto as a dip for crackers, crusty bread, or crunchy veggies
- Thin pesto with a bit more oil to make a salad dressing
I, myself, bought fancy aqua and white striped pasta just for this recipe post, but it turned grey – whomp whomp. The color unfortunately faded after cooking and become less appetizing than I had hoped… I guess there are just some things that shouldn’t be colored aqua. Very few things. But pasta is clearly one of them. 😉
Ingredients for this Easy Sage Pesto Recipe:
- 2 cups sage leaves (washed and dried)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup quality oil (like olive oil)
- 1/3 cup (generous) pine nuts
- 2 garlic gloves
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- And you’ll need a food processor!
What Oil is Best for Pesto?
High quality, extra virgin olive oil is best for pesto. The oil really contributes to the flavor of pesto, so choosing a good quality olive oil makes a difference. However, I have made many, many batches of homemade pesto and I’ve also used grapeseed oil. It works really well! So you are welcome to choose another oil for homemade pesto, but be sure it has a nice flavor that you enjoy.
How to Make This Easy Sage Pesto Recipe:
- Remove sage leaves from the stem
- Rinse and dry the sage leaves (I used my salad spinner!)
- Grate the Parmesan cheese (you can do this by adding to the food processor first, or grating separately)
- Whirl together the grated cheese and sage
- Add the oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and whirl until combined.
- If you’d like your pesto juicier, add more oil and whirl again.
How to Store Fresh Sage Pesto
I transferred my fresh pesto to a couple of glass jam jars and refrigerated immediately. I recommend using up fresh pesto within a few weeks. Although, I gifted some to my Mom and she kept her jars of pesto in the fridge for months with no problems.
Can You Freeze Homemade Pesto?
Alternatively, you can freeze pesto in an airtight container. I used little condiment sized containers like this, to freeze a portion at a time (a little pesto goes a long way). You can also freeze a larger portion and then scoop some out – it doesn’t freeze solid, like a block of ice. I froze some fresh pesto and it stayed fresh all year in my freezer – whenever I needed some, I just added it to freshly cooked, hot pasta (no need to thaw that way). But you can also thaw in the fridge overnight if you’d like it more spreadable as a dip or sandwich topping.
What Makes Homemade Pesto Different?
This homemade sage pesto was so tasty and a lot less oily than store bought pesto – it had more substance and flavor. It’s kind of funny because I factored in the cost of the sage seeds, the cheese, the pine nuts, etc. (never mind the cost of the soil, manure, and the garden beds themselves) and it cost so much more money to make a jar of pesto than to just buy one. But it’s worth it because my homemade sage pesto tasted so much better. I also enjoyed dinner more because I grew what we were eating. Getting into gardening last summer was incredibly expensive and frustrating and, to be honest, I’m not sure I enjoy it at all – but when I cook or eat something I grew, I do feel this little flutter of pride. Next spring I’ll plant way more sage so I can make and gift jars of this sage pesto! I’m also going to experiment with mint sage pesto and basil sage pesto blends – the best part of making pesto is the ability to experiment with new flavors!
What Are Some Common Pesto Mistakes to Avoid:
- Using dried or frozen herbs, instead of fresh herbs, will not create a good pesto
- Using cheap oil can make pesto taste off – the oil is a large component of the flavor and a cheap/old/fake oil will ruin the flavor
- Not properly washing/drying the herbs can also negatively affect the pesto
- Over-processing the pesto ingredients can result in a mushy, bitter tasting pesto
Sage Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups sage leaves (washed and dried)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed, olive oil works too)
- 1/3 cup (generous) pine nuts
- 2 garlic gloves
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and dry sage leaves (I used a salad spinner)
- Grate the Parmesean cheese (you can do this by adding to the food processor first or grating separately)
- Whirl together the grated cheese and sage in a food processor.
- Add the oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and whirl until combined.
- Store in canning jars or other airtight container - refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year.
Don’t Forget to Pin for Later:
This was very good but I used 1 cup of oil as I found it much to dry and difficult to process. Consistency was perfect!
Author
I used this recipe tonight too, lol! Funny coincidence. Happy to hear more oil worked out for you.
Do you think there’s a possibility that you could freeze portions of those to use later on?
Author
Yes! I am glad you asked! I’ve been experimenting with that myself. I used a silicone mold (or ice cube tray) to freeze the pesto into into chunks, and then put those chunks into one big container so it would be easy to grab a portion. I toss a chunk into my pasta from the freezer and warm it up on the stove and it tastes just as good.
I hear ya on the cost of making your own sage from plant. But isn’t sage a perennial? So you should technically only have to buy once. In previous years, Ive planted sage in deck planters but this year, I put it directly into our garden so hoping it comes back!
Author
It is a perennial, I believe. I did have one part of my plant come back but only a small chunk so I ended up planting more anyway. So this year I had a good amount. It’s more the other ingredients that really add up cost-wise, like the cheese and nuts – which are so pricey right now! But you’re right, the sage will eventually be free, haha.
It is, but it depends on what zone youre in. It will come back, or should, if youre anywhere zone 4/5 and up. So if you live somewhere super cold it may not. Although honestly I am zone 5 and mine never grew back so it depends.
Thanks for sharing recipe came out great but turned brown in canning jar after refrigerated
Author
Hmmm, interesting! Mine got a tiny bit less green but didn’t turn brown. Mine looked like jars of pesto you can buy in stores… You can also freeze it and stir, right from frozen, into hot pasta to use.
I add spinach to my basil pesto and rarely use pine nuts, usually pecans, walnuts or pistachios. What a great idea to use sage! Bet sage pesto would taste great on a Turkey & Swiss sandwich.
Author
Love the idea to add spinach! I’ve been experimenting with other nuts lately as well – I just used walnuts in a sage and basil mix pesto. Super yummy! I’ve been making a lot of different pestos lately (with dill too!) and freezing for winter because I really will miss having fresh herbs.