Pesto Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe

This pesto vinaigrette salad dressing recipe is a bright and fresh sauce made with basil, garlic, greens, and balsamic vinegar!  This pesto dressing with balsamic is great to toss with fresh pasta, top on garlic bread, or just stir into a soup or risotto.

 

This dressing is a bright & fresh dressing that combines fresh herbs and pantry staple ingredients. Enjoy this dressing on top of pesto garlic bread, tossed with pasta, or use on caprese pasta salad!

 

 

This  pesto vinaigrette sauce has been a staple on our table this spring! We built an indoor green house and are growing loads of fresh greens like basil and kale, which are perfect in this vegan pesto sauce recipe.  The basil does particularly well growing in our countertop Aerogarden as well!   

 

Traditionally lemon juice is added to pesto, but I decided to try adding the acidity from balsamic vinegar and it did not disappoint. The result? A sweet tangy pesto sauce that is vegan, dairy free, and great to add to many dishes.  Spoon it on!

 

• Fresh Basil – we grow fresh basil at home year-round with our aerogarden!
• Kale
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry.  For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
• Balsamic Vinegar: I use this Colavita balsamic because it has a really great flavor for a store-bought vinegar.
• Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat in this sauce!
• Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
• Walnuts: because YUM. I stocked up a few bags of these Amazon-brand walnuts which are super cheap and a great value for the quality. Pesto traditionally is made with pine nuts, but they can be expensive and hard to find… so walnuts make a great substitute!
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt.  It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
• Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper.  Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend. 

Easily Grow Fresh Basil on Your Counter All Year Long

We got this great 6-Pod Aerogarden which is fantastic for growing herbs in the winter.  We actually bought it when we lived in a smaller apartment, but even now that we own an acreage we still use it year-round!  I love growing herbs on my countertop like fresh basil, dill, mint, sage, thyme, parsley, and lemon balm. It uses LED lights and water, so no messy soil needed – you can have fresh herbs at your fingertips any time. I love picking a few springs of parsley to chop on pastas, adding basil leaves to soups, and tossing some dill in with my pasta salads. This Aerogarden is a great gift for anyone who would like fresh herbs… no big kitchen or green thumb required!

1. In a food processor or blender, add all ingredients and pulse on low to combine pesto until it forms a thick paste. If the pesto becomes too thick, add an additional tablespoon more olive oil to loosen it up. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
2. Enjoy pesto tossed into pasta, on pizzas, or spread thick on garlic bread!

Dietary Modifications

• This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free!
• To make this pesto nut free, substitute out the walnuts for pumpkin seeds.
• To make this recipe oil free, you can use water in place of the oil… however, it will have a different texture.