Basil pesto pasta recipe

Here are three ways to freeze basil for year-round use, plus tips on how to keep basil at its best. Choose the basil pesto pasta recipe that works for you.

Erin Huffstetler is a writer with experience writing about easy ways to save money at home. Wash and dry the basil leaves. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them. Transfer the frozen basil to freezer bags and use them as needed. Blanch washed basil leaves for 15 seconds and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry the leaves thoroughly and then flash freeze and transfer to freezer bags as described in option 1. Use a food processor to coarsely chop washed basil leaves.

Scoop the resulting mixture into ice cube trays and freeze. If you want bigger cubes, use a two-inch cube ice cube tray. Each cube will hold about a half cup of basil. It’s also a great size for freezing leftover broth, wine, and buttermilk.