pesto

American  

[pes-toh] / ˈpɛs toʊ /

noun

Italian Cooking.

1. a sauce typically made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and grated Parmesan blended together and served hot or cold over pasta, fish, or meat.

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pesto British  

/ ˈpɛstəʊ /

noun

1. a sauce for pasta, consisting of basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, oil, and Parmesan cheese, all crushed together

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Etymology

Origin of pesto

First recorded in 1935–40; from Upper Italian (compare Genoese dialect pésto “pesto”), Italian; noun derivative of pestare “to pound, crush”; see piste

Explanation

That bright green sauce on your pasta? It's probably pesto, a delicious combination of garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts. The traditional version of pesto, invented in Genoa, Italy, is salty and garlicky, and it's made by crushing all the ingredients by hand using a mortar and pestle. The word pesto itself comes from this technique — its root is the Italian pestare, "to pound or crush." If you want to be absolutely sure you're getting this original, authentic version in an Italian restaurant, you can specify pesto alla genovese, or "Genoese pesto," when you order.

Example Sentences

And don’t stop at dressings, you can add it to other sauces and dips too like chimichurri, tzatziki, tahini, pesto; the possibilities are endless.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

Here’s the scoop on Goop…Kitchen: Gwyneth Paltrow is expanding her health-focused takeout business beyond California this month, answering the pleas of New Yorkers clamoring for its chicken Caesar wraps and gluten-free pesto pasta.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

There's even a focaccia cake with roasted tomato, pesto and feta icing – a savoury offering Sunga is delighted to see.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Potato flatbread with spruce sprout pesto and pickled white currant.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026

In the mornings she went to a deli and bought a baguette and little containers of things Dev liked to eat, like pickled herring, and potato salad, and tortes of pesto and mascarpone cheese.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri