Pesto recipes are an excellent way to add a lot of flavor to pasta or meat. I love them because there is no cooking at all. They are great for weeknight meals. And, these are herbs (affiliate) I had plenty of in my garden. I am going to share two pesto bomb recipes to help you freeze excess fresh herbs (affiliate) now and use them during the winter and spring months for a splash of freshness. As I make more of these pesto bombs, I plan to revisit this post and add them here. Note that all these pesto recipe bombs are dairy-free and gluten-free. Feel free to check out my post on freezing fresh herbs in olive oil.
Jump to:
- Key Takeaways
- What are Pesto bomb recipes?
- Tools You Will Need for these Pesto Recipes
- Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Recipe
- Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Ingredients
- Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Instructions
- Reveal: Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs
- Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Recipe
- Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe Ingredients
- Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe Instructions
- How to use this Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe?
- Reveal: Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs
- Freezer-friendly Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Pesto Bombs Recipes You Will Love
Key Takeaways
- Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Pesto Recipes Bombs are easy to make and require no cooking, making them perfect for weeknight meals.
- Pesto bombs use fresh herbs (affiliate), allowing you to enjoy garden flavors in winter and spring.
- You need basic tools (affiliate) like a food processor, ice cube trays, and a sharp knife to prepare these recipes.
- Two types of pesto bombs featured are basil and parsley, each with a simple ingredient list and instructions.
- These pesto recipes freeze well for up to 6 months, providing a quick flavor boost for meals.
What are Pesto bomb recipes?
If you've made pesto before, you know it is pretty easy with oil and ingredients that blend well; they freeze well. But, pesto doesn't last long, maybe a day before it darkens and spoils after a few days. By making these pesto bomb recipes and freezing them, you can enjoy them in the winter and spring months, when these ingredients may be more difficult to find. Plus, if you take them from your own garden, you get an added enjoyment of tasting something you grew the prior season.
Plus, pesto is not cheap to buy, so making it yourself will save you a ton of money. If you have ever looked for pine nuts, the cost is outrageous. So, making it with pine nuts you found on sale will save you even more money. It's great for money-conscious families.
Let's first show you the tools (affiliate) you will need for these recipes to make it properly.
Equipment can significantly impact how a recipe turns out. You will need to have a few tools (affiliate) and appliances for this recipe. Remember, this was a garden for weeknight dinner recipes, so there are additional things you need.
A sharp Chef's knife (affiliate) and cutting board (affiliate) are essential. These are the stable things that I need.
You will also need a silicone bottom ice cube tray at least 1 or 2 with lid. This is the one I got from Amazon (affiliate). The silicone bottom makes it easy to remove the frozen bombs.
Additionally, a food processor or blender (affiliate) is also recommended. I prefer the food processor; it doesn't make the pesto too liquid.
Tools You Will Need for these Pesto Recipes
Cutting Board Extra Large Bamboo 18"x12"
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Chef Knife - Sharp Kitchen Knife 8 Inch
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Buy Now → (affiliate)
The first one I am going to show you is a traditional basil, garlic, and pine nut recipe.
Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Recipe
Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Ingredients
Below are the ingredients for this basil, garlic, and pine nut pesto recipe.
- 1.5 c olive oil (affiliate)
- 2 teaspoon salt (affiliate)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (affiliate)
- 4 c Basil fresh
- 16 tablespoon DF Parmesan cheese
- ½ c pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Instructions
This is a no-cook recipe. You can prep from fresh ingredients and freeze. See below for ways to use pesto bombs.
First, clean the 4 cups of fresh basil and set aside.
Then measure out the rest of the ingredients.
- 2 teaspoon salt (affiliate)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (affiliate)
- 16 tablespoon DF Parmesan cheese
- ½ c pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic (whole)
Measure out the 1.5 c olive oil (affiliate) and set aside.
Be sure your food processor is ready and cleaned. And, make sure the ice cube tray is cleaned and dry.
In the food processor, add the basil first, then the pine nuts, dairy-free parmesan cheese, salt (affiliate), pepper (affiliate), and garlic whole. Close the lid.
Turn on the food processor. And add the olive oil (affiliate) slowly through the hole in the lid. Then pulse until you get a paste. If it looks a little dry, add more olive oil (affiliate) than suggested.
You may want to open it and scrape down the sides to make sure all the basil and other ingredients are included in the pesto bomb.
Then transfer about 1-2 tablespoon of the pesto bomb into each section of the 10-cube tray. Divide them evenly throughout.
My ice cube tray had a lid. So I placed it on top and put it in the freezer for several hours until it was completely frozen. I think it took about 2 hours.
Then transfer them to a labeled Ziplock Freezer bag for later use.
How to use this FROZEN Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe?
Now, I used mine in the winter and spring, and I added it to gluten-free pasta. Here are the instructions for using it.
While the water is boiling for the pasta, I add 4 pesto bombs to a skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to speed up the melting process.
When the pasta was drained, I transferred it to the skillet and tossed it until coated. Then, I served it immediately. It took a total of 15 minutes from cooking the pasta to tossing for a perfect weeknight dinner.
Reveal: Basil, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs
This is what it looked like after freezing. Note: they are hideous-looking when they defrost, but taste delicious when mixed with pasta or meat.
The next herb pesto recipe is super easy to make, too. It uses parsley instead of basil.
Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs Recipe
Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe Ingredients
This is a no-cook recipe. You can prep from fresh ingredients and freeze. See below for ways to use pesto bombs.
- ¾ c olive oil (affiliate)
- 1 teaspoon salt (affiliate)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (affiliate)
- 2 c parsley fresh
- 8 tablespoon DF Parmesan cheese
- ½ c pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe Instructions
This is a no-cook recipe until you want to use it.
First, clean the 2 cups of fresh parsley, remove stems, and set aside.
Then measure out the rest of the ingredients.
- ¾ c olive oil (affiliate)
- 1 teaspoon salt (affiliate)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (affiliate)
- 8 tablespoon DF Parmesan cheese
- ½ c pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
Measure out the ¾ c olive oil and set aside.
Be sure your food processor is ready and cleaned. And, make sure the ice cube tray is cleaned and dry.
In the food processor, add the parsley first, then the pine nuts, dairy-free parmesan cheese, salt (affiliate), pepper (affiliate), and garlic whole. Close the lid.
Turn on the food processor. And add the olive oil slowly through the hole in the lid. Then pulse until you get a paste. If it looks a little dry, add more olive oil than suggested.
You may want to open the lid and scrape down the sides to make sure all the basil and other ingredients are included in the pesto bomb.
Then transfer about 1-2 tablespoon of the pesto bomb into each section of the 10-cube tray. Divide them evenly throughout.
My ice cube tray had a lid. So I placed it on top and put it in the freezer for several hours until it was completely frozen. I think it took about 2 hours.
Then transfer them to a labeled Ziplock Freezer bag for later use.
How to use this Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs recipe?
For this one, I added chicken and tossed it with the melted parsley pesto boom recipe. I used four of them, made the sauce as above for the basil one, and then added thinly cut chicken breast, so it only takes about 5 minutes to cook. Yum. Sorry, no pictures, it went fast!
Reveal: Parsley, Garlic, and Pine Nuts Pesto Bombs
And here is what the recipe looks like when it is finished cooking.
Below are the nuts you can use to make a pesto variation.
Walnuts
Cashew
Pine Nuts
Almonds
Pistachio
Below are herbs you can use to make pesto variations.
cilantro
parsley
mint - check out my mint parsley walnut pesto with spaghetti recipe
dill
taragon
chives
argula- not an herb but works too.
These ice cube pesto recipes should be used within 6 months of freezing.
Related Freezer Meal Recipes
Looking for other freezer-friendly recipes like this one? Try these:
Freezer-friendly Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Pesto Bombs Recipes You Will Love
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 20 ice cubes
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Description
By making these pesto bomb recipes and freezing them, you can enjoy them in the winter and spring months, when these ingredients may be more difficult to find. Plus, if you take them from your own garden, you get an added enjoyment of tasting something you grew the prior season.
Ingredients
-
- 1.5 c olive oil
-
- 2 tsp salt
-
- 1 tsp pepper
-
- 4 c Basil fresh or ¾ cup fresh parsley
-
- 16 tbsp DF Parmesan cheese
-
- ½ c pine nuts
-
- 2 cloves of garlic
Instructions
First, clean the 4 cups of fresh basil or the 2 cups of fresh parsley, then set aside.
Then measure out the rest of the ingredients: 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 16 tablespoon DF Parmesan cheese, ½ c pine nuts, 2 cloves of garlic (whole).
Measure out the 1.5 c (for basil recipe) or ¾ c (for parsley recipe) olive oil and set aside.
Be sure your food processor is ready and cleaned. And, make sure the ice cube tray is cleaned and dry.
In the food processor, add the basil or parsley first, then the pine nuts, dairy-free parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic whole. Close the lid.
Turn on the food processor. And add the olive oil slowly through the hole in the lid. Then pulse until you get a paste. If it looks a little dry, add more olive oil than suggested.
You may want to open it and scrape down the sides to make sure all the basil and other ingredients are included in the pesto bomb.
Then transfer about 1-2 tablespoon of the pesto bomb into each section of the 10-cube tray. Divide them evenly throughout.
My ice cube tray had a lid. So I placed it on top and put it in the freezer for several hours until it was completely frozen. I think it took about 2 hours.
Then transfer them to a labeled Ziplock Freezer bag for later use.
Notes
Visit the recipe to see the individual recipes if you need more information. They are pretty similar in ingredients except for the herbs (affiliate).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Freezer meal, no cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ice cube
