Marcella Hazan’s Pesto Sauce
Marcella Hazan admits that traditional pesto is made with a mortar and pestle, but she also recognizes that most home cooks reach for the food processor. Rather than dismissing it, she adapts the recipe to preserve as much of pesto’s texture and flavor as possible.
The basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt are blended in the processor, but the cheeses and softened butter are stirred in by hand afterward. Marcella explains that taking this extra step creates a noticeably better texture than processing everything together.
The butter may seem unexpected if you’ve only had restaurant pesto, but it softens the sharp edges of the garlic and cheese while giving the sauce a silky finish that coats the pasta beautifully.
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About this Recipe
This pesto comes together in minutes, but there are a few small details that make a noticeable difference.
Finely chopping the garlic before adding it to the food processor helps it blend evenly into the sauce. The basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt are then processed until smooth, creating a pesto where the fresh basil remains the focus while the garlic and pine nuts provide a more subtle layer of flavor.
Rather than processing the cheeses and butter with everything else, they’re stirred in by hand after the pesto is transferred to a bowl. That extra step creates a lighter, silkier texture that would be difficult to achieve in the food processor alone.
If needed, loosen the pesto with a tablespoon or two of the hot pasta cooking water before tossing it with the pasta. My sauce was already smooth enough without it, but it’s a useful adjustment depending on the consistency of your pesto.
Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Pine nuts
- Garlic
- Salt
- Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Romano cheese
- Butter
Ingredient Notes
1. Fresh Basil
For 2 cups “tightly packed” basil, fill the measuring cup with whole leaves, gently press them down, and continue adding more until the cup is full. There’s no need to chop the basil beforehand, and you can leave the small, tender stems attached to the leaves. Just remove any thick stems. The fresher the basil, the brighter and more aromatic the finished pesto will be.
2. Butter
Butter is one of the ingredients that sets Marcella’s pesto apart. Stirred in by hand after the pesto is blended, it creates a smooth, velvety sauce that coats the pasta beautifully.
3. Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano
This recipe calls for both Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheese. The Parmigiano brings nuttiness and richness, while the Romano contributes a sharper, saltier flavor. Grate both from wedges just before making the pesto for the best texture.
The Recipe
Marcella Hazan’s Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 3 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
- salt
- 1½ lbs pasta (spaghetti recommended)
Instructions
- Put the basil, olive oil. pine nuts, chopped garlic, and a generous pinch of salt into the food processor. Process to a creamy consistency.
- Transfer to a bowl and add the cheese. Stir to combine well.
- Add the softened butter and stir to combine.
- Once the pasta has finished cooking, add it directly to the bowl of pesto and mix together well. If needed, use a tbsp of pasta water to help it combine.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Cooking Tip: Chop the Garlic First
Rather than adding whole garlic cloves to the food processor, be sure to finely chop them first. This helps the garlic blend evenly into the pesto instead of leaving larger pieces behind.
Serve With
- Fresh tomato salad
- Grilled chicken
- Pan-roasted chicken with rosemary, garlic, and white wine
- Roast chicken with lemons
- Grilled shrimp
- Roasted vegetables
- Crusty Italian bread
Wine Pairing: Vermentino
Pesto is rich from the olive oil, cheese, and butter, while the basil brings fresh herbal notes. I paired this sauce with Vermentino because it has enough acidity to keep the sauce from feeling heavy, along with flavors of citrus, green apple, herbs, and a subtle minerality that complement the basil rather than competing with it.
It’s also a versatile bottle if you’re serving pesto alongside grilled chicken, seafood, or a simple summer salad.
Serve well chilled.
To learn more about Vermentino, including tasting notes, serving tips, and food pairings, visit the full guide below.
Marcella’s pesto sauce comes together quickly, but it still reflects the care I’ve come to expect from her recipes.
Finely chopping the garlic before processing, stirring the cheeses and butter in by hand, and thinning the sauce with a little pasta water all contribute to a pesto with a smooth texture and fresh flavor that tastes unmistakably of summer.
If you have basil overflowing in the garden or find yourself bringing home a large bunch from the farmers market, this is a wonderful way to use it. Marcella even includes instructions for freezing the pesto before adding the cheese and butter, making it easy to enjoy those fresh basil flavors long after the growing season has ended.
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Next up in Cooking the Classics: Fricasseed Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon Juice
About Stephanie
I’m cooking through classic cookbooks one recipe at a time, sharing tested recipes, wine pairings, and what I learn along the way. Each post includes notes from my own kitchen, along with practical wine recommendations designed to make choosing a bottle a little easier.
