Vegetarian eating at its best, this is easy to make and so satisfying!
For deeper, nuttier flavor toast the pine nuts before you use them in the pesto. The easiest way to toast pine nuts is in a pan without any oil, set over high heat for 30-90 seconds, just until they brown.
About Parmesan: Know that real Parmigiano-Reggiano isn’t really vegetarian. For a cheese to be sold under such name it has to be authentic, and it is only authentic if it uses calf rennet as an ingredient crucial for the production. Obviously that makes it non-vegetarian. Both Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano use rennet as well. If you want rennet-free cheese, look at the label first. Luckily you can find plenty of Parmesan-style hard cheeses that are made without it.
TO MAKE VEGAN: Use more nuts in place of cheese or use vegan parmesan. I keep hearing great things about Violife parmesan, so try looking for that!
Recipe adapted from The Smitten Kitchen cookbook.
Keywords: quick