Things You Can Make With Pesto Besides Pasta

Have you ever grown a backyard full of basil, transformed it into a gallon of pesto, and asked yourself what you were thinking? The struggle is real. How much pasta with pesto can you really eat, right? Well, you're in luck. There are, like, a million (okay, maybe a couple dozen) other ways you can work pesto into your culinary adventures.

According to The Kitchn, you can actually consider this herbaceous Italian condiment — traditionally made with basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, and pine nuts — versatile! Try mixing pesto into dips, cottage cheese, or guacamole. You can make savory pancakes by mixing pesto into the batter, or kick up your eggs by adding a drizzle of pesto over the top. If you want to switch up your pizza sauce, swap out the marinara for a thin layer of pesto sauce instead. Imagine pesto mixed into your bread dough recipe, or even better, swirled into butter!

Making chicken salad? The Kitchn suggests mixing pesto right into your recipe. You can even stir pesto into your favorite ranch or vinaigrette dressings to create a new flavor profile. Mix pesto into mayo or cream cheese for sandwiches and bagels. Top your favorite rice or grain bowl with a healthy dollop of fresh pesto. For those who consider themselves to be meat lovers, you can use pesto for marinating steak, chicken, fish, pork, and more. And as the weather cools down, you can drizzle pesto over soups and easily add herb-filled flavor.

Still have basil coming out of your ears? Try some pesto recipe alternatives that deliver a different taste. You can swap the pine nuts for an alternative nut like walnuts, or you can use completely different vegetables from the garden. Kale, carrot tops, mint, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, and more can all be made into delicious pestos (via Simply Recipes).