pesto

American  

[pes-toh] / ˈpɛs toʊ /

noun

Italian Cooking.

pestos plural

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pestos
  plural

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

See Examples For:

pesto pestos

Emma Robins, from Reading, says broccoli hidden in pesto pasta is a favourite for her three-year-old son Alfred, as well as veg pulsed into pasta sauces.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

It has pesto, not because you are pretending it is August, but because some part of August was worth saving.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Try adding veggies like fresh spinach to your sauce, or using pizza sauce or pesto instead of marinara.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 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

How about polenta-crusted salmon filet with pesto sauce and a nice glass of J. Lohr Chardonnay?

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Some pestos throughout Italy also lean more toward a romesco-style sauce, using tomatoes or roasted peppers with nary a green in sight.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2025

Mustards, spreads, pestos… but don’t just think savory; sweet is really nice, especially when paired with cheeses.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2023

In addition to drinkables, Cunningham makes pestos of basil or arugula, as well as herb blends that she freezes into ice cubes and adds to dishes all year.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2022

Salads, pestos, dishes incorporating fresh tomatoes and cooked clams.

From New York Times ● May 21, 2020

Pound in shallots or fennel seed or chiles at will, as you might when DIYing herby salsas and pestos.

From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2018