A Mediterranean twist on this simple recipe with basil, pistachio and oregano makes this sauce the perfect complement for a variety of meals.
I've made it a goal this year to making more sauce recipes to go with my dinners. Sauces really can put a simple recipe over the top. And the best thing is, you can make it ahead of time and freeze and then just use when you need it. But I'm not going to lie, this creamy basil pistachio sauce might not last long enough for you to freeze.
To me this sauce is the definition of Mediterranean, well except for the jalapeño, but that little kick of heat works perfectly with the basil, oregano and pistachios. Yes I know pistachios can be a bit pricey, but they are just so good! I get mine already shelled from Costco. So if you are looking for a quick and easy sauce recipe that can go with a ton of different meals, this one is for you. Oh and I might be sharing a recipe soon that specifically uses this basil pistachio sauce.
What Ingredients are in this Basil Pistachio Sauce Recipe?
- Produce - fresh basil, fresh oregano, garlic, jalapeño, lemon
- Pistachios
- Kosher salt
What Can I Use this Sauce for?
I've mentioned before, sauces are very important to take meals to the next level. What makes this one so great, is it can work with a variety of recipes, but especially Mediterranean. As far as dishes on this site, it's great with Greek chicken lettuce wraps or even Greek falafel naan sandwiches. And with a hint of heat with jalapeño, it could be a perfect complement to a Mexican-style veggie burger like green chili veggie burgers. It is very versatile.
Tips for Basil Pistachio Sauce
- Roast the pistachios which helps bring out the nutty flavor for the sauce.
- You can replace the fresh oregano with 1 tsp of dried oregano.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemon and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- If you want more heat, keep the seeds from the jalapeño in the sauce.
Other Sauce Recipes
If you’ve tried this Basil Pistachio Sauce or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Basil Pistachio Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil
- ½ cup roasted pistachios
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 jalapeño, halved and seeds removed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until combined. Add extra water 1 tbsp at a time if sauce needs to be thinned. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Notes
- Roast the pistachios which helps bring out the nutty flavor for the sauce.
- You can replace the fresh oregano with 1 tsp of dried oregano.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemon and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- If you want more heat, keep the seeds from the jalapeño in the sauce.
Big pistachio fan