Arugula Pesto

My wife and I grow basil and love homemade pesto. We decided to switch it up today and make this one. Please note that in any pesto the ingredient amounts are flexible depending upon taste. With that said however this recipe is wrong. 1/2 cup of arugula with a whole cup of olive oil is wrong. I used closer to 3 cups and 1/3 cup of the oil and it came out about right. I did roast the walnuts first.

• Reeldoc

• St. Petersburg, Florida

• 11/4/2021

Wonderful flavors but maybe a little too much oil. I’d start with 1/2 cup of olive oil.

• Joebramey

• Owasso, Oklahoma

• 2/20/2021

Never put extra virgin olive oil in a blender. The molecules break and it turns bitter/disgusting. Regular olive oil only.

• yuppicide

• 10/15/2020

This recipe is definitely a keeper with a couple of minor adjustments. A cup is way too much oil. I only used between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. Also, a teaspoon is too much salt. I'll try half a teaspoon next time. Instead of chopping the garlic, I turned on the food processor and dropped it through the feed tube, then proceeded per the directions. Yummy!

• sdarlin

• Virginia

• 7/13/2020

Very yummy! Pesto recipes are just a general recommendation, people need to tailor pesto to their own tastes. Some people like more oil, some less. I just drizzle oil in while the Cuisinart is running until the texture seems right. Then I add more nuts, cheese, greens, or salt to taste until it’s perfect. Since I generally put it on pasta, a little more oil is nice so the pasta isn’t too dry. A variation for this recipe is to add a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice; the combo of arugula and lemon is heaven in my opinion. I always cut my garlic in half and remove the white/green root that is often present; it prevents the throat burn of fresh garlic. Pesto freezes well, but drizzle a little olive oil on top to prevent discoloration.

• laurenhidalgo

• San Jose, CA

• 4/20/2020

I made this as directed, but based on other reviews, I started with only 1/2 c of EVOO and added more as needed. My arugula was full size (not baby arugula, so it was drier/more coarse than baby arugula).

• Anonymous

• SF, CA

• 4/15/2020

I am not a fan of arugula at all, but ended up with two bunches in my fridge. I decided to give this a try, subbing in pecans for walnuts as that's what I had. I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite nice and even the kids enjoyed it over spaghetti. I think the amount of oil was pretty much spot on at 1 cup.

• Anonymous

• Toronto, ON

• 3/31/2020

Gave 3 forks because I modified the recipe. Doubled everything except for the olive oil, which I HALVED - so only used 1/2 c. for 4 c. arugula, 2 garlic cloves, 1 c. walnuts, 1 c. cheese. Love this on everything in summer!

• Anonymous

• 6/26/2018

Good but need a lot more arugula then in recipe.

• klofberg

• Phoenix, AZ

• 3/18/2018

I found this way too runny. Adjusted amount of oil to 1/2 cup.

• jencerny6903

• Toronto

• 12/14/2017

This is great! I like it better than using basil. I made it exactly as written and it needed the whole cup of olive oil.

• shrjoh97456

• MN

• 6/2/2017

Fantastic with grilled meatball sandwich (to which it is linked) but 1 c oil is way too much. Nice change from meatballs and red sauce.

• Anonymous

• Ely MN

• 10/17/2014

great flavor, intended for the grilled meatball sandwich which was super, but taste great on a variety of different foods

• noelfranz

• Miami FL

• 5/22/2014

I put the arugula in boiling water for about 30 seconds and squeeze out the water. This is supposed to keep the arugula a nice shade of green. It is also works with almonds instead of walnuts. I have also added some (10% of volume of arugula) basil leaves if the arugula is on the more bitter side. My husband likes it when I add dash of cayenne pepper. We like to mix this pesto with some mayonnaise and put it on a turkey sandwich.

• Anonymous

• Denver, CO

• 1/28/2013