Looking for the flavors of Italy that only come with a homemade pesto, but you’re lacking fresh herbs? Our Blanco Pesto recipe – or White Pesto- is here for just such occasions! This creamy pesto, made with ricotta cheese and walnuts and dried herbs, is a delicious and versatile option that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
While its exact origins remain a mystery (some say Liguria, others Sicily), one thing is certain: a version of this pesto made with ricotta cheese is popular across Italy. We love it as a sandwich spread, a pizza sauce, a flavorful sauce for pasta as well as a way to add creamy flavor to any vegetable soup.
This easy ricotta and walnut pesto recipe comes together in minutes, making it the perfect last-minute appetizer or the beginning of a quick and healthy meal.
Ingredients
Seasonings.
Italian Bread Dip.
Italian Bread Dip. In Italy, a variety of dried herbs would be used to make this pesto. We love our organic Italian Bread Dip for this recipe as it brings together the flavors of Italian cuisine with rosemary, thyme, basil, savory, and oregano with just a touch of salt and chile flake in one easy seasoning blend.
Looking for more recipes which use Italian Bread Dip?
Sheet Pan Shrimp & Brie Bruschetta
Marinated Grilled Peppers With Burrata Cheese
Garlic. Garlic adds that savory base of flavor that can only come from garlic. Fresh garlic cloves are best in this recipe, but if you just don’t have it our Dried Minced Garlic is the next best thing!
Pacific Flake Sea Salt. Pacific Flake Sea Salt is an all-natural kosher flake salt that is our everyday go-to salt. Be sure to taste for salt after this recipe is blended together as just a bit of salt can make all the difference between a bland bunch of cheese and nuts and a bright zesty pesto.
Lemon. Both lemon peel and lemon juice add a touch of brightness and freshness to this recipe.
Nuts
This easy pesto recipe uses walnuts which add a nutty deep rich flavor. While it may seem odd to us in the United States to use walnuts instead of pine nuts to make pesto, in Italy walnuts are often used in pesto.
If using raw unsalted walnuts, be sure to take the time to toast them. If you can only find roasted salted walnuts, you can skip the toasting step.
Cheese
Blanco pesto relies on cheese for its creamy texture as well as flavor so use the best you can find and afford. Whole milk ricotta adds a creamy texture that part skim ricotta just won’t provide, so go with the whole milk version. Parmesan cheese adds a deep savory and nutty flavor to this pesto recipe, so don’t skip it.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We’ve experienced pestos with many different herbs and nuts – with and without cheese, but we’ve never had a pesto made without Olive Oil! Use the best you can find. We particularly enjoy the local olive oils on the shelves of SpiceTopia. If you’re in Ventura, we invite you to stop on by for a sample.
Technique or How to Make Homemade Pesto
This is basically a five minute white pesto recipe. Toasting the nuts is the longest step in the recipe but takes just a few minutes before everything gets blended together in a food processor or blender until creamy.
Tips:
- For a spicy white pesto, add a pinch or two of Crushed Red Chili Flakes.
- Don’t be afraid to use almonds or pistachios instead of walnuts.
With its simple ingredients and delicious flavor, Blanco Pesto is sure to become a staple in your kitchen. When you don’t have fresh herbs, no need to skip pesto!
This is a naturally gluten-free ricotta and walnut pesto recipe.
This recipe is incredibly simple and comes together in just a few steps.
Let’s Get Cooking!
Blanco Pesto: A Creamy Pesto with Ricotta and Walnuts (Quick & Easy Recipe!)
Ingredients
Instructions
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Add Italian Bread Dip to olive oil.
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Add nuts to a cold pan and place on the burner. Turn burner onto medium and heat nuts until fragrant.
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In a food processor or blender, add walnuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and lemon zest. Process until the nuts look like sand. Add ricotta, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Process until smooth. Taste for seasoning.
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Enjoy!