Made with what you have in the fridge

This sauce can quickly be made up of ingredients you have leftover in the fridge. As long as you have salad leaves and oil you can make this super fresh and tasty sauce. 

There's no need to cook the sauce, and you can have it on hot or cold pasta. Our version takes less than 10 minutes to make in a Nutribullet or any other blender. Don't have one? Finely chop instead for a more rustic option. 

Ingredients

• Salad leaves
• Oil
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Lemon or vinegar

Method

1. Place the salad leaves with a clove of garlic n the blender with the juice of 1 lemon or a splash of vinegar, and enough oil to allot the mixture to blend into a vibrant green paste. 
2. Blitz up and season with salt and pepper. Do not add these seasonings before blitzing or the sauce will be to salty and peppery. 
3. I had some spare fresh herbs, so I finish my sauce with some basil leaves that I simply tore up and added (dried herbs can also work). 
4. Taste to check the seasoning, and that's your sauce done!

Use straight away by adding to hot or cold pasta, or spread it on bread and top with cheese for a tasty toastie. 

Serving suggestion: spread the pesto on two slices of bread and fill the middle of the slices with cheese. Put in a frying pan with a small splash of oil. Wait until the bread browns on one side and gently flip. When both sides are brown and the cheese has melted it's ready to eat. 

Shelf life and storage: The sauce will keep chilled in a fridge for up to 5 days. The added salt and lemon juice or vinegar extends the shelf life. 

Top tip: if you use rocket as your main salad leaf, go light on adding extra peper as it will give you a peppery hint on its own. You can also use vegetable oil, but for this recipe olive oil tastes better. 

Hungry for more? Check out our other time and energy-saving recipes.