Garlic Scape Pesto

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]