I was walking out of the famers market this past weekend, when these garlic scapes stopped me dead in my tracks! I'll always make room in my basket for these! I knew exactly when I laid eyes on them that they were going to make a beautiful pesto.
Garlic scape pesto is absolutely perfect for lazy summer cooking. I like to put this on everything from grilled veggies to pastas! Customize it by swapping half the basil with your green of choice, but I think kale or arugula would be just perfect 🙂
I chose to serve this on seared NY strip steaks and then added some toasted pine nuts on top for added texture. A squeeze of lemon, then a drizzle of high quality extra virgin oil, flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper brought all of these flavors together in a cohesive way.
This recipe yields a heaping cup, which is slightly more than you'll need for two servings. Store your leftover garlic scape pesto in the freezer in ice cube trays! I think I am going to try the leftovers I have in my freezer on some pasta this week!
If you like this recipe, be sure to try some of my other summer favorites:
https://mindfulcooks.com/grilled-watermelon-tomato-salad-with-chipotle-vinaigrette/
https://mindfulcooks.com/light-herbed-potato-salad/
https://mindfulcooks.com/grilled-peach-salad-with-cilantro-honey-vinaigrette/
tip[lt_recipe name="NY Strip Steaks with Garlic Scape Pesto" servings="2" total_time="35M" difficulty="easy" summary="Garlic scapes are only in season for a short time during the late spring, so be sure to pick them up and make this mildly sweet, garlicky pesto with them! " print="yes" image="https://mindfulcooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/birthday-chocolate-2-1024x683.jpg" ingredients="1 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes;2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed;2 tablespoon pine nuts;½ lemons juice;½ cup extra virgin olive oil;½ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional);s&p, to taste" ]Blend together the garlic scapes, basil, pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor.;With the motor running, stream in the olive oil.;Add in the parmesan cheese and pulse briefly. Add salt and pepper to taste.;;Chefs tip: freeze any leftover pesto in ice cube trays, then store frozen in an airtight container to add to soups and sauces. Keeps for up to 3 months.[/lt_recipe]
Clif says
Love this, thanks for making it easy!
Susana Yque says
Best pesto!
Kate Lowery says
Nichole is so talented this was delicious
Jena Frick says
Nom! Obsessed with this pesto recipe and will definitely be getting ice cube trays to i can store the leftovers and keep using them all week!