Easy Basil Pesto: Fresh & Freezable Camp Recipe
There are so many great options to make awesome camping food that is quick and simple if you add a flavor-packed ingredient like basil pesto!
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Make-Ahead Fresh & Freezable Camp Recipes
I absolutely LOVE cooking at the campsite but not every meal has to be made from start to finish while camping. It’s nice to have some menu items that have most of the prep work done at home so you can quickly throw together a fresh and homemade meal in just minutes on your camp trip.
My Basil Pesto recipe is perfect to make from scratch at home with fresh ingredients but it’s also perfect to freeze for later use.
See all of my make ahead camping meals that include “dump & cook” and “dump & re-heat” recipes.
Easy Camping Recipes That Use Pesto
Here are some of my favorite camping recipes that use basil pesto.
Pesto Tortellini Bake Freezer Meal
This is one of my make ahead freezer meals you just “dump and cook” at camp. The chicken, cheese tortellini and grape tomatoes taste so yummy in a creamy sauce made using pesto and alfredo sauces.
Pesto Steak Pasta
This meal cooks in 1 pot and is ready in 30 minutes. The pasta cooks right in the sauce, no boiling water is required!
Pesto Ricotta Pasta Bake
This is my “lazy man’s lasagna” that combines oven-ready noodles, basil pesto and 3 cheeses to make one of my favorite one pot camping meals.
Pesto Tomato Wraps
Quick wraps make awesome easy camping meals for a fast lunch or light dinner. This one uses just a few simple ingredients. The secret to easy recipes that taste delicious is using fresh and flavorful ingredients like fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.
Chicken Pesto Pizza
This simple pizza uses only 6 ingredients to make one of the quickest camping dinner recipes you’ll ever make!
Grilled Cheese & Pesto Turkey Sandwich
I love making easy camping lunches that are not plain lunchmeat sandwiches. Pile some ingredients on bread and grill it to make an ordinary sandwich a real treat!
How To Freeze Homemade Basil Pesto
Camp Cooking Tip: I like to make this recipe at home and freeze it so it is ready to defrost at the campsite. I freeze portions of about 1/2 cup each and take as many as I need on any particular camp trip depending on the number of people I will be serving.
The key to freezing successfully is to use plastic freezable containers, add the pesto and then top it with a thin layer of olive oil so that none of the pesto is open to air which will turn the pesto a dark grayish color rather than maintaining a vibrant green tone.
Once defrosted you can easily toss this basil pesto with some grilled chicken and pasta for a super flavorful and hearty meal.
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Easy Basil Pesto Freezable Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add the basil leaves, garlic cloves, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and salt to a food processor.
- Start the processor and drizzle in the olive oil, process until a smooth paste consistency.
- If freezing, add pesto in 1/2 cup portions to plastic freezable containers then top it with a thin layer of olive oil so that none of the pesto is open to air. The pesto will maintain its vibrant green color, otherwise it will turn a dark grayish color.
Notes
Nutrition
More Camping Meal Ideas
Make every campsite meal taste yummy without doing lots of work or dishes!
If you’re looking for awesome ideas for yummy camping food, you’re in the right place! Here’s our entire camping recipes list.
What do you think?
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