Cilantro pesto is a great substitute to basil pesto. I love basil pesto but I do not love the price tag that comes with making basil pesto. In my local grocery store, basil leaves are expensive and pine nuts are virtually pricey everywhere. Since cilantro only cost a few cents for a big bundle, naturally this would be a more economical choice for me.
I started out experimenting with the ingredients for my cilantro pesto based on the basic formula of making basil pesto; basil leaves, pine nuts, olive oil, shredded cheese and garlic. Since I had pecan nuts in hand, I decided to use that instead of pine nuts and since I rarely have cheese in my pantry, I did not use cheese.
I usually eyeball my recipe for four servings of pasta. Below is my approximation of what you need to make this tasty economical cilantro pesto pasta
Ingredients:
3 cups packed cilantro with most stems removed (usually about 2 bunches of cilantro)
1 tsp minced garlic
5-8 pieces of toasted pecan nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1. Add cilantro, garlic and toasted pecan nuts in a food processor.
2. Gradually add the olive oil a little bit at a time and pulse it
3. If the mixture is still too dry, add more olive oil.
4. Slowly pulse the mixture until it becomes a paste
5. Add the lemon juice to the paste and pulse it one more time.
6. Don't forget to taste it and adjust everything to your liking!
7. Toss it with your pasta
