What to do with leftover pesto

delicious. team

Written by the expert and completely food-obsessed team behind this website, our social channels and our monthly magazine.

Find more

Pesto is an Italian sauce which is often used in pasta dishes. It’s usually made with basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts, but you can also make artichoke pesto and wild garlic pesto, too, just for example.

Discover how you can use up leftover basil pesto, and make the most of those few tablespoons.

Recipes with pesto

How to use up leftover pesto

Pesto chicken
Mix 2 tbsp pesto with 1 tbsp each lemon juice and olive oil. Put a chicken breast between baking paper and flatten to 1cm with a meat tenderiser or rolling pin. Coat in the pesto mix and leave for 2-3 hours in the fridge. Heat a griddle pan until smoking, then cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through.
Pesto-topped fish
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Mix 3 tbsp pesto with 1 tbsp olive oil, the zest of 1/2 lemon and a handful of breadcrumbs. Put 2 fillets of sustainable white fish on a baking paper-lined baking sheet. Top with the pesto and slices of lemon, then bake for 10-15 minutes until the fish is cooked and the breadcrumbs are golden.
Pesto potato salad
Mix fresh mayonnaise with 1-2 tbsp pesto and the finely grated zest and juice of half a lemon, then season to taste. Use to dress steamed new potatoes with chopped fresh mint.