Pesto recipe homemade pesto always makes a thoughtful hostess gift. mix things up with the cilantro variation. the perfect, basic, never-fail pesto recipe loaded with basil, garlic and parmesan cheese. pesto, sometimes spelled as pasto or to refer to the original dish pesto alla genovese, is a sauce originating in genoa, the capital city of liguria, italy. super easy homemade pesto no need for store-bought pesto anymore. this recipe is so easysome say using a blender rather than a food processor results in a smoother puree. when combining pesto with pasta, mix a small ladle of the pasta cooking water into the pesto just before adding the noodles; this dilutes the concentrated sauce and helps it adhere to the pasta much better. use basic basil pesto as a pasta sauce, or thin it out with a little olive oil to drizzle it over steak, chicken, fish, pizza or tomato salad. serve this over pasta with some broiled cheesy garlic bread, homemade ciabatta bread or some crusty french bread. add in a garden fresh salad and what a perfect meal