Arugula Pesto

5-minute arugula pesto made with garlic, walnuts and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This pesto is unbelievably good and packed with flavour. Use it on sandwiches, salads, pasta and more!

We love pesto of all kinds..we have recipes for basil pestopistachio pestosun-dried tomato pestopesto alla trapanese (Sicilian) and now this incredibly good arugula pesto.

The best thing about this recipe is that it's ready in 5 minutes! Everything is blitzed together in a food processor and it's done. So quick, easy and effortless.

You can use it as a spread on sandwiches, toss it through greens in a salad (good), drizzle it on roasted veg or as a pasta sauce. We've been eating it a lot with gnocchi and of our goodness it is good.

Our top tip – arugula (rocket) can have a strong peppery, almost bitter taste at times so if your pesto is a little too strong, add some fresh lemon juice and it cuts through the bitterness perfectly!

See the full recipe below plus our helpful step-by-step photos, tips and variations!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Arugula (rocket) – if you find arugula too bitter in general then you can substitute half of it for fresh basil or parsley.
• Walnuts – most nuts work well in this pesto. You can use pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts (like we have), cashews or almonds.
• Parmigiano Reggiano – you could also use Pecorino Romano.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

Making pesto couldn't be simpler; put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Adjust the consistency with more olive oil (photos 1 and 2).

Swaps

• Add herbs – Swap half of the arugula for fresh basil or parsley. It's such a good and easy way to switch it up.
• Add lemon – fresh lemon juice is a good way to cut through the bitterness. Add it to taste once you've made the pesto.

Some good way to use pesto

The recipes below use different kinds of pesto (all good) but you can use the arugula pesto in any one of these recipes too!

Antipasti

Pea Pesto and Goats' Cheese Bruschetta

Mains

Chicken Pesto Ciabatta

Pasta

Pasta With Green Beans, Tomatoes & Pesto

Soups

Ligurian Minestrone Soup with Pesto

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings (about 3/4 cup/220g)

• 3 cups (45g) arugula (rocket)
• 1/2 cup (50g) walnuts
• 1/3 cup (65ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 scant cup (50g) Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)

Optional ingredient

• Fresh lemon juice (add this to taste if the pesto is bitter)

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Adjust the consistency with more olive oil if needed.

2. If your pesto is too bitter/peppery you can in some fresh lemon juice. Start with a small amount and add it to taste.

3. Use the pesto straight away or store it in the fridge (see notes below).

Kitchen notes

Store in the fridge the pesto will keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days. It will likley oxidise and turn darker but this is fine. Store it in a jar or sealed container and pour a thin layer of olive oil on top which helps keep it fresh. If you added lemon juice to it that will also help with the oxidisation.

Freezing instructions pesto freezes well for up to 3-4 months. We recommend freezing it in small portions (ice cube tray) which defrosts quickly too.

Ways to use it

• Use the pesto as it is, emulsified with pasta water with pasta or gnocchi.
• Spread it on sandwiches (can also be mixed with mayo or sour cream).
• Served with roasted veggies or meat and fish.
• Add it to salads.