With the end of the season growing near, there’s always the big rush to use up all the beautiful produce from the garden.

For me, I always have soooo much basil—and honestly, I haven’t been a huge fan of classic basil pesto. It just always felt too strong in flavor.

Well, this year I decided to try something different and came up with Basil Arugula Pesto!

I’m now an Uber Super Fan because the arugula lightens the heavy basil taste and creates a beautifully balanced, fresh pesto. 🍃

Why I Love This Version

The peppery bite of arugula softens basil’s intensity
You can swap in other greens like kale, chard, or parsley
It’s flexible: use whatever nuts you have on hand!
Keeps well in the fridge or freezer

For this batch, I used:

Equal parts basil and arugula
Garlic, lemon zest + juice
Olive oil, Romano cheese, and raw almonds

Set up your bar station! Here are the mixing instructions…

🥣 How to Make Basil Arugula Pesto

Start with the base:
Add almonds, garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a food processor. Blend until chopped.
Add the greens:
Toss in your basil and arugula. While blending, slowly drizzle in olive oil.
Finish it off:
Add Romano cheese, red pepper flakes (for a kick), salt, and pepper.
Adjust as needed:
If it feels too thick, just add a touch more olive oil.

✅ Pro Tip: Taste as you go—you can adjust the spice, acidity, or texture to your liking.

🔪 Traditional Tip: Chop by Hand

In Italy, pesto is traditionally made by hand, not in a food processor.

Many Italians believe the blade can over-process the basil and dull the flavor.

No food processor? No problem. Just sharpen your knife and get chopping! ✨

That said—I used a processor for convenience. Once it was blended, I stored the pesto in a mason jar, where it’ll keep for about a week in the fridge.

You can also freeze it:

In a mason jar
Or in ice cube trays for single servings all winter long!

🍝 How to Use Basil Arugula Pesto

This pesto is incredibly versatile. Try it on:

Toasted Italian bread
Pizza or flatbread
Sandwiches and wraps
Appetizers with crostini
Tossed with pasta (like I did!)

My Pasta Night:

Sautéed garden cherry tomatoes in olive oil
Stirred in a dollop of pesto
Tossed with angel hair pasta
Finished with a splash of pasta water + cream

Result? A quick, creamy Basil Arugula Pesto Pasta that was absolutely delicious!

🧄 Final Thoughts

I hope you love this lighter, brighter version of pesto as much as I do!

Even if you don’t grow basil yourself, grab a bunch from the grocery store or farmer’s market, pair it with fresh arugula, and blend up a batch this weekend.

Trust me—Basil Arugula Pesto will become a new favorite in your kitchen!