Sauces

Creamy and lush pesto recipe for pasta that will have you coming back for more.

Pesto recipe is enough to coat 500g of pasta, which is a huge batch. Depending on how much pasta you’re making, you might have some pesto recipe leftovers.

What is pesto sauce used for

Pesto sauce can be used for:

• pasta salad
• warm pasta dishes
• bruschetta
• sandwiches
• appetizers
• dipping bread into
• pizza sauce (ex. with fresh mozzarella cheese & sundried tomatoes)
• potatoes
• braided pesto bread

What goes well with pesto pasta

Foods that go well with pesto pasta include:

• feta
• tomatoes
• cucumber
• peppers
• broccoli
• chicken
• olives
• shrimp
• sundried tomatoes
• bocconcini cheese
• peas
• parmesan cheese
• zucchini

How long does pesto pasta last for

Pesto pasta will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Pesto is absorbed by the pasta, therefore the pasta will begin drying out after a couple of days. Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil onto the pasta after day 3 if your pesto pasta has become too dry.

Try our Pesto Bow Tie Pasta Salad with your freshly made pesto.

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Pesto Recipe for Pasta

How to make pesto for pasta recipe

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: condiment

Yield: 0.5 cup

Materials

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch pepper
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Place fresh basil leaves with stems removed in a food processor.
• Add walnuts to the basil leaves and blend until walnuts have been broken up into small pieces.
• Add finely grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper to the food processor.
• Measure out olive oil. Stream olive oil into food processor and blend it until it's fully combined.
• Use a spatula to remove the pesto from the food processor.
• Your pesto is ready to use for your pasta recipe.

To make chipotle mayo, you’ll need a couple of spices, a lime, mayo, and a can of chipotles in adobo sauce.

Depending on how thick you want your sauce, and the tangy taste of lime juice, only add the lime juice sparingly until you’re happy with the consistency and taste.

Chipotle mayo, is it spicy?

Chipotle mayo is quite spicy. You’ll only really notice the spice after eating a few bites of it; the spice won’t start immediately. Chipotle mayo is a medium spice. You can add more spice to your chipotle mayo by either adding more chipotle peppers to your mayo, or add some of the adobo sauce. Add them sparingly to not overdo the spice for your chipotle mayo.

Chipotle mayo for sweet potato fries

Chipotle mayo for sweet potatoes fries is made by using a bit of lime juice, mayo, and a couple of chipotles in adobo sauce. Blend them all together and add spices as needed. You can add cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste to your liking. Only add the chipotles one at a time until you get the spiciness you’re looking for in your chipotle mayo for your sweet potato fries. If you overdo the spice, it can be difficult to calm the spice. Add a bit more mayo to tone down the flavor if necessary.

How to use chipotle mayo dip

Chipotle mayo dip can be used for a number of foods including:

• sweet potato fries
• burgers
• wraps
• turkey sandwich
• fried chicken sandwich
• veggie tacos with chipotle mayo
• chicken club with chipotle mayo
• BLT with fried egg and chipotle mayo
• bacon and turkey panini with chipotle mayo
• coconut shrimp with chipotle mayo

You can spread chipotle mayo dip on sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. To use chipotle mayo dip on tacos, use a spoon to layer the sauce on the top of the taco. Alternatively, you can use chipotle mayo dip for dipping sauce for sweet potato fries.

How to use chipotle mayo on burgers

Chipotle mayo is a great addition to your homemade burgers. You can add complimenting flavors to your burger, along with your chipotle mayo.

• cilantro
• jack cheese
• fresh red onions
• avocado
• cheddar cheese
• tomatoes
• lettuce
• pineapple slices

To use your chipotle mayo on your burger, add it to where you would normally place your regular mayonnaise. Typically the chipotle mayonnaise would be placed on the bun, and then a layer of lettuce overtop. Your burger and the rest of the condiments would follow after to create your chipotle mayo burger.

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How to Make Chipotle Mayo

Step by Step Guide How to Make Chipotle Mayo

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: condiment

Keyword: dip

Yield: 8 servings

Materials

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
• 1-2 tbsp lime juice to taste
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• pinch cumin
• pinch paprika

Instructions

• Add all of your ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. The chipotles need to be completely emulsified to give off their spicy flavor and to make the sauce completely smooth.
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Cilantro lime coleslaw is a citrusy and tart slaw. The dressing makes the coleslaw tangy, with a bit of a bite with the vinegar.

Cilantro lime coleslaw recipe made without using mayonnaise is perfect for making tacos with.

You can use this cilantro lime coleslaw with no mayo on beef tacos, vegetarian tacos, or shrimp tacos.

The cabbage used in the coleslaw recipe can be found in one of the premade coleslaws that you’ll find in a bag in the grocery store.

The coleslaw should already have sliced carrots in the coleslaw so you won’t need to add any. I find that purchasing this coleslaw is much cheaper and easier than cutting up multiple cabbage and having most of it go to waste.

The coleslaw in a bag should last 3-4 days in the fridge, so that will give you enough time to use most of it up.

The best use of this Mexican slaw is for adding it to shrimp tacos.

The coleslaw with cilantro lime vinaigrette goes nicely with the shrimp giving it a hint of lime flavor.

It’s not too overpowering and leaves you with a fresh taste in your mouth. You can also try this citrus slaw for on top of fish tacos!

Why does citrus go well with fish

Fish is a salty food, and once cooked, it’s skin forms a caramelizing flavor creating a sweet taste. When you add in citrus – sour flavor, you’re getting a combination of salt, sweet and sour all at once. Citrus goes well with fish because it compliments the other flavorings and balances them out.

You can make this quick lime and cilantro slaw in only 5 minutes. Prepare it just before you’re ready to serve your tacos so your coleslaw doesn’t get soggy. I recommend serving it with some sort of salsa – try our watermelon and pineapple salsa if you’re up for a challenge!

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Cilantro Lime Coleslaw Recipe No Mayo

How to make cilantro lime coleslaw without using mayonnaise

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Keyword: coleslaw

Yield: 2 servings

Materials

• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp olive oil extra virgin
• pinch salt
• 1/8 cup cilantro chopped
• 3/4 cup mixture of shredded carrots, green and purple cabbage (coleslaw base) this blend of coleslaw can be found in a bag in the grocery store

Instructions

• Mix the dressing together in a small bowl by combining 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to whisk the dressing together vigorously.
• Place coleslaw into a separate bowl and add fresh cilantro leaves.

  Pour the dressing over the coleslaw and mix together. Your lime cilantro coleslaw is ready to be served.

  If you have any leftover dressing, store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

  Coleslaw that has been dressed already does not store well. The cabbage won't be as crunchy the following day. It's best to make fresh right before you're going to serve the coleslaw.

Pizza sauce is a sweetened tomato sauce flavored with garlic, oregano and fresh basil leaves.

Pizza sauce is usually made with crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes to make the base of the sauce.

Typically you don’t need to make pizza sauce with tomato paste because it’s not necessary. The crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes will give the pizza sauce all the flavor it needs, in combination with the herbs.

What is the pizza sauce made of

• Crushed tomatoes/whole tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• Minced garlic
• Sugar
• Oregano
• Onion
• Olive oil
• Butter

Other uses for pizza sauce

• Dipping sauce for garlic sticks
• Dipping sauce for bread
• Pizza pinwheels
• Breadmaker pizza pretzels
• Pizza bites
• Pepperoni pizza pinwheels

Are pizza and marinara sauce the same

Pizza and marinara sauce are similar, but not the same. Pizza sauce and marinara sauce are both made with whole tomatoes. Marinara sauce is pasta sauce, which typically has tomato paste in it, along with diced onions, and possibly other vegetables to make it the base of a meal. Pizza sauce has onions infused with it, and usually has fresh basil cooked in it, unlike marinara sauce.

What is the tomato sauce on pizza called

In North America it’s called pizza sauce, or tomato-garlic sauce. In Italy, they call it marinara sauce. In North America they call pasta sauce marinara sauce. So it really depends on which area you live when deciding what to call pizza sauce.

What can I add to marinara sauce for pizza

You can add fresh basil, olive oil, butter, sugar, minced garlic, and oregano to marinara sauce to make pizza sauce.

What is the best melting cheese for pizza

The best melting cheese for pizza is mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cheese is creamy, thick, easy on the mouth, and has a squishy texture. The texture makes it stringy when it melts. This is due to how it’s manufactured. Mozzarella cheese is kneaded and stretched when it’s processed. That’s why you get strings of cheese coming off of your pizza when you take a slice off of your pizza. It melts effortlessly when it’s baked on top of pizza in a clay oven.

In Italy they use fresh mozzarella for their best cheese on top of a pizza. You don’t need as much fresh mozzarella on top of a pizza as regular mozzarella.

What’s the difference between fresh mozzarella and regular mozzarella

Regular mozzarella cheese has had the majority of its moisture removed so it’s considered a low moisture cheese. Regular mozzarella cheese is dried longer, and contains more salt. It has a rubbery feel to it, and easily browns and crisps up when cooked on a pizza in a hot oven.

Fresh mozzarella is purchased with water or brine surrounding the cheese to keep the moisture content high within the cheese. Since it’s only good for about a week after production, it’s best used as soon as you purchase it. It can be vacuumed sealed and will stay good for a bit longer. The high moisture content in fresh mozzarella means that it melts and spreads, but typically does not brown. It’s consistency is much softer and can easily be squished between your fingers, unlike regular mozzarella.

How do you thicken marinara sauce for pizza

Thicken marinara sauce by adding fresh basil, minced garlic, oregano, sugar, olive oil, and butter to make pizza sauce.

What cheese do Italians use for pizza

Italians use fresh mozzarella for their pizza.

What makes Italian pizza different

Italian pizza is different from American pizza because they use fresh mozzarella, olive oil on their pizza crust, and bake it in a wooden fire oven. The crust is much thinner in Italian pizza, so thin that you typically have to eat it with a fork and knife. If you go to Naples, they are famous for their pizza without pizza sauce. They use olive oil instead of pizza sauce.

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How to Make Pizza Sauce Without Tomato Paste

Step by step guide how to make pizza sauce without using tomato paste

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Active Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: condiment

Keyword: sauce

Yield: 2 cups

Materials

• 1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1 tbsp butter unsalted
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp oregano dried
• pinch red pepper flakes
• to taste salt
• handful fresh basil separate into leaves and stems
• 1 medium onion cut in half
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Place olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
  
• Add oregano, pepper, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Place the whole can of tomatoes and juice into a large bowl. Use a pastry blender to crush the tomatoes into a bit smaller pieces. Add crushed tomatoes to the saucepan. Separate the basil leaves from the stems. Add 3-4 stems of fresh basil, mix together and cook for 3-4 min.
  
• Add sugar to the saucepan. Cut the onion in half leaving the root in tact. Peel the outer layer off of the onion and discard. Place the peeled 1/2 onions face down in the sauce and cook for 45 min on low.
  
• Cut basil leaves into strips. Add the basil leaves after 45 min and cook for 5-15 min. They can turn bitter if you cook them for too long, so best to cook them for as little time as possible. Fresh basil will wilt and combine in the sauce easily using a wooden spoon to press them into the sauce.
  
• Remove onions and basil stems from the sauce using a strainer and discard. Blend the pizza sauce with a blender until smooth.
  
• Pizza sauce is ready to use.