Garlic Scape Pesto
This garlic scape pesto recipe is a delicious zesty treat and can be enjoyed in many ways. Served over pasta or a hearty flatbread to create a wonderful appetizer. It has a fresh mild garlic flavor and is better than the traditional basil pesto.
It is a definite crowd pleaser!
And best of all, it can be ready in just about 5 minutes!
If you are not growing your own garlic at home, you can easily find garlic scapes at farmer’s markets in early summer. Don’t have a local farmer’s market, don’t fret! You can even find them online at Azure Standard during the early summer season.
Garlic scapes are only in season for a short period of time, so you’ll definitely want to snatch them up when you can!
What are garlic scapes?
Garlic scapes are long green shoots that grow off of garlic bulbs of hardneck garlic varieties and look kind of like scallions. They are interesting and curvy with a bulb towards the end. The bulb would flower if left on the plant.
To me, garlic scapes are a bit whimsical and remind me of something you’d see in a Dr. Seuss book.
However, these garlic scape shoots need to be removed to save the energy for the garlic bulb to grow. And so we are left with these scapes to enjoy rather than throwing them out.
They make a welcome addition to most culinary dishes like a stir-fry or pestos, and can be used as you would garlic cloves. But have a much milder garlic flavor too.
Related: interested in harvesting your own, try growing garlic at home!
Here’s what you’ll need
This recipe is super simple and takes about 5-10 minutes to make! And it only uses a handful of healthy ingredients too.
- about 1/2 pound garlic scapes, trimmed
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
- pine nuts
- sea salt
- fresh basil leaves
Equipment needed:
- food processor
- spatula
How to make this zesty pesto
Trim the scapes just below the flower bud and discard. Give the scapes a rough chop to make them easier to combine in the food processor.
Add the trimmed scapes, basil leaves, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to create a rough mixture.
Then add the parmesan cheese and olive oil, pulse a few more times to gently combine. Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in the pine nuts. Pulse again just to combine.
The texture of this pesto should be kind of coarse, almost reminiscent of a thick salsa or bruschetta and not blended smooth.
My favorite way to enjoy this recipe is over a hearty piece of sourdough flatbread! But it is also really good over pasta, on a rustic pizza, or any other way you love to enjoy pesto at home!
How long can you store this pesto?
This garlic scape pesto can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight storage bowl or mason jar with lid for up to 7 days.
It can also be stored longer term in a freezer for about 6 months. Simply fill ice cube trays with the pesto and freeze. After they are frozen, remove from the ice cube trays and store in freezer bags.
want more recipes?
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Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound garlic scapes trimmed
- ½ cup basil leaves lightly packed
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Trim the scapes just below the flower bud and discard. Give the scapes a rough chop to make them easier to combine in the food processor.
- Add the trimmed scapes, basil leaves, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to create a rough mixture.
- Then add the parmesan cheese and olive oil, pulse a few more times to gently combine. Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in the pine nuts. Pulse again just to combine.
