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.

---

pesto British  

/ ˈpɛstəʊ /

noun

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

---

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”; piste

Example Sentences

The broccoli rabe was turned into a kind of cruciferous pesto.

From The Wall Street Journal

A spoonful of green sauce, like chimichurri or pesto, can do the same.

From Salon

You can do pizza-inspired with sausage and marinara, vegetarian with mushroom and onion, pesto and goat cheese, buffalo chicken, anything!

From Salon

LaMarita recommended playing around with your radish greens and blending them with other leafy greens for a more vibrant and robust pesto.

From Salon

So do pestos and moles — the latter a velvety blend of chilies, nuts, chocolate, and spices, essential to many Mexican dishes.

From Salon