Garlic and Oregano Pesto is a great way to use up surplus fresh oregano. It is just bursting with bold flavors and tastes great on grilled foods, especially if you are looking for a delicious zesty Mediterranean flavor. Oregano pesto freezes well so you can preserve the season and enjoy year round. A great fresh oregano recipe essential for the home gardener.
What To Do With All This Fresh Oregano? Make A Delicious Homemade Oregano Pesto!
I have had so much oregano growing in my garden, I just had to come up with a few oregano recipes to make sure it doesn't go to waste.
If you have been hanging around here at all then you know I just hate wasting food, especially something that I put so much effort into growing (ok the extent of effort with this was literally digging a hole and covering it up again...but still).
So I have been on the hunt for oregano recipes using fresh oregano for the past couple of weeks, when I had a little bit of an 'a-ha moment' and decided to use it up like I did my excess fennel, and whip up a fun pesto.
Fresh Oregano Pesto Is So Easy
We cut down a whole trees worth of oregano and got to pesto testing.
Well let me tell you, it was delicious! And so easy too. It freezes well too, so you can pop a couple batches in the freezer and enjoy that fresh zesty oregano flavor all year round.
Although, if your oregano is as crazy as mine, you will have the fresh stuff all year round anyway, but it's always nice to have something pre-prepared, right?
To make your own homemade oregano pesto you are going to need:
- Fresh oregano (of course)
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic, peeled
- Raw almonds
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
That's it!
Just pop it all into a blender and watch the magic happen.
To store: pop into the fridge for around 5-7 days. I usually put an extra little layer of olive oil on top of the pesto and it helps to preserve it for a little longer and stops it from going brown on top.
If you want to freeze it then I usually freeze my pesto in ice cube trays. Just pop the mixture into the ice cube tray, freeze, and once frozen remove and store in a ziploc bag until needed.
If you love pesto then be sure to try this pesto al limone next!
I Have The Oregano Pesto, Now What Do I Do With It?
I hope you guys love this fresh garlic and oregano pesto as much as we do!
I use it anywhere I would normally use a good pesto. It goes particularly well with the following foods and recipes:
- jazz up pizza/pasta sauces;
- use as a pizza sauce itself;
- make a simple oregano pasta
- mix with some olive oil and drizzle in a nice salad;
- dress up some roast potatoes like these potatoes from A Communal Table;
- freshen up some oregano and lemon chicken skewers
- use in this creamy pesto gnocchi recipe
- add a dollop to some salmon and bake in the oven.
Troubleshooting:
- I can't have nuts: you can sub sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead.
- I can't handle raw garlic: sauté the garlic and allow to cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients in the blender.
- I don't have enough fresh oregano: if you have other herbs on hand then play around. This works well with some basil or parsley. Pesto's are very forgiving so just blend away and have some fun.
- I am vegan or don't eat dairy: sub in nutritional yeast instead, it works really well.
Need More Recipes Using Fresh Oregano?
I have a few more oregano recipes here you should definitely check out if you have a surplus on your hands are are wondering what to do with all this fresh oregano:
- Dehydrated Oregano Without A Dehydrator
- One Pot Oven Roasted Chicken with Potatoes
- Grilled Greek Potatoes In Foil With Lemon and Oregano
If you try it and love it, be sure to pop back and leave a comment. Also, if you have any other ideas on how to use up lots of oregano make sure to leave those in the comments as well, so everyone can benefit 🙂 Happy eating.
Recipe
Garlic and Oregano Pesto
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh oregano, tightly packed
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup raw almonds
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Add all ingredients but the olive oil to the bowl of a food processor and grind until the mixture is slightly combined.
- With the processor still running, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for later use (see notes for tips)
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Meri Schroeder says
Absolutely delicious pesto. Perfect to use an over abundance of potted oregano. I had to use some nutritional yeast since I didn't have enough parm cheese. I also added a few leaves of basil and spinach. So good!
Jeannette says
I noticed an abundance of oregano in my herb garden and it’s a rainy day so cooking was on the agenda. I love this recipe. Like others have said, I was skeptical but it’s wonderful. I added the juice of half a lemon.
Donna says
It does seem weird to make a pesto from such a strong smelling herb, but it works wonderfully!
Kristina says
Excellent recipe! My oregano is taking over the garden so I needed something to do with it. I used roasted almonds instead of pine nuts (did not have them) and added a loose handful each of basil and spinach to tame the pepperiness. I can't wait to try this on pizza and in spaghetti sauce. Thanks!
Kim says
I loved this recipe! some family members liked it better than the classic basil pesto.
Donna says
Love to hear it 🙂
Erin says
Do you need to remove the leaves, or can stems go in as well?
Donna says
The stems can go in as well, keeps it nice and easy!
Lisa says
OMG I was so hesitant to try this but WOW! Amazing, not overpowering with oregano, just savory and delicious. I used raw cashews instead of almonds and it was very creamy.
Donna says
So glad you enjoyed this one! Reminds me I need to cut back my oregano again!
Paula says
I don’t have almonds. Can I use walnuts?
Donna says
Yep, any nut should work!
Jenny Jones says
My family loves your oregano pesto with almonds! Used it on pizza from sour dough crust recipe, spiral pasta, and to use up the remains in the blender I made vinaigrette dressing using home made basil wine vinegar from last year's harvest of basil. I did put some in ice cube tray to freeze too. I keep my Greek oregano in check each season with a straight blade shovel to keep it in its boundary of space. I had been drying it but your fresh pesto recipe is so wonderful I will be making it more often. I added fresh flat leaf parsley and lemon thyme to your Garlic and Oregano Pesto recipe.
Donna says
Yum, that vinaigrette sounds amazing! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Anne Scottlin says
Never mind... just saw that you can freeze. LOL! Thanks!
Anne Scottlin says
How long does it keep? Thanks!
Angelique says
Just did it. Surprisingly delicious. Only ever did pesto with basil and wild garlic but with oregano is better than wild garlic. Thanks for the recipe.
Darcy says
I made a batch and shared with a friend too! Yummy!
Vanessa says
Thank you for the recipe! I’m excited to try it. What other nuts do you think would work well? I always have cashews and walnuts on hand. I’m thinking the cashews might make the texture creamy... but is that a bad thing? 😂
Donna says
I think the cashews would work really well! I always have walnuts on hand so tend to use them in a lot of pestos!
Mary H. says
can I use regular salted almonds in the pesto?
Donna says
Absolutely!
Zussie says
Donna! So happy I found your blog, I have an insane amount of oregano growing which makes me incredibly happy as well, but didn’t know how to make the pesto, so thanks a bunch!!!
Donna says
So glad you found me then 🙂 Hope you love the pesto as much as we do, I use it in everything!!
Gracy says
I've just made it as I had a heap of oregano growing. Absolutely amazing!!!
Thank you
Donna says
Yay, this makes me so happy!! My oregano in my new house isn't taking, so also a little jealous 🙂
Brudda Osas says
Yum, this was so good.