Walnut parsley pesto is a refreshing twist on the traditional pesto recipe. I came across this when I was listening to a Prue Leith interview. She called it an English pesto. The parsley pesto recipe contains cheddar cheese instead of the traditional parmesan cheese. The parsley gives the pesto a fresh taste and is not overwhelming. It goes great with pasta and, as my family likes, on crackers or vegetables. I personally love trying new pesto recipes and this one is a favorite of mine.
The cheddar in the walnut parsley pesto
I used a new york sharp cheddar cheese with this pesto recipe. New York cheddar has a bolder taste and I thought that would help the cheddar flavor not get lost. There are cheddar blends out there but a true cheddar taste would be a good choice. The cheddar taste is bold and delicious! If you purchase cheddar cheese that is already shredded, a celulose is added so the cheese will not stick together. I find it better to take the extra time to shred the cheese yourself.
The rest of the ingredients for the pesto
The walnuts are best when roasted. Roasting only takes 5-7 minutes in the oven. The flavor that is added with roasting the walnuts is very pleasant. The parsley can be added stem and all into the food processor. One bit of advice is to cut the stem to a fine dice and just roughly chop the leaves. Oh, the garlic. My wife, Gayle, and I have different opinions on whether to use one garlic clove or two. I will leave that up to you. We made ours with two cloves which was Gayle’s choice. Lastly, just use a good olive oil to bring the walnut parsley pesto together. Olive oil is what I used but try out other oils. Grapeseed or avocado oils would work out fine.
Serving
Pesto works great a dip, a spread on a sandwich, or with pasta. My suggestion would be to experiment with different cheeses, nuts, and greens. There are many combinations when it comes to making pesto. Make it your own!
Try my basil pistachio pesto for another twist on traditional pesto.
Try the caprese grilled sandwich recipe in my ebook!
Equipment
- 1 food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound cheddar
- 1 cup roasted walnuts
- 2 cloves diced garlic
- 1 cup italian parsley add stems too.
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil see notes
Instructions
- Roast the walnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.
- Add cheese, garlic, parsley, walnuts, and sea salt to the food processor and blend into a thick paste.
- In a steady stream, pour the olive oil in while the processor is running. Process until the desired thickness is achieved.
