Find a Recipe!

Just a Little Bit of Bacon

where comfort food meets the farm stand

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • beverages
    • desserts
    • grilling and bbq
    • main courses
    • quick dinners
    • side dishes
    • soups and stews
  • mediterranean recipes
    • italian recipes
      • italian comfort food
      • italian antipasti
      • fundamentals of italian cooking
    • spanish recipes
      • spanish tapas
    • french recipes
      • french comfort food
    • greek recipes
  • holiday favorites
    • christmas
    • easter dinner
    • thanksgiving feast
  • resources
    • dinner and party menus
    • farmers’ market
      • ingredient spotlight
    • roundup post
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Simple Homemade Green Olive Pesto

January 20, 2019 By justalittlebitofbacon 8 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. Click here for details.

Green olive pesto is a sauce even better than the original! Yes, I’ve said it. This is a recipe you’ve got to try. Creamy walnuts, salty olives, plenty of basil and parsley, and enough garlic to give a kick. Yum!

Top view of a white bowl of green olive pesto with a serving spoon.

Hello, all!

January is ticking along here and we’re having a little winter weather. More rain than anything here (though ice too!), but enough to make me wonder if we’re moving into the ‘regular storms and blizzards’ part of winter. Not my favorite part…

Though I can’t complain about warm fires and warm drinks. šŸ™‚

But that’s all the more reason to stay in, pull out a pile of ingredients, and make delicious food instead. Who’s with me?

Not that you need to wait for winter to make this creamy, herby rich sauce! In fact, I am seriously looking forward to summer, not only for the warmth and lovely weather, but for the ability to walk outside and pick some basil and parsley and whip up a batch of yummy pesto without going to the store. Bonus!

And I will totally be making batches. It’s everything I love about pesto. And more. The green olives basically make it turbo charged with flavor and I can’t get enough of it!

Ready to find out how to make this awesomeness? I know you are! Let’s go…

White bowl of bright green pesto with a spoon. Sauce topped with basil and walnuts.

What do you need?

  • Green Olives – You will want one cup, pitted and unstuffed. (I used castelvetrano olives.)
  • Herbs – One cup parsley and 1/2 cup basil.
  • Walnuts – Toast them up and add them to the processor.
  • Olive Oil – Use a flavorful one here!
  • Lemon/Garlic – A little acid and a little allium finish things off.

How to make this

To make green olive pesto, puree green olives, basil, parsley, garlic, and walnuts in a food processor. Add enough olive oil to make a smooth sauce.

The two sentences up there are pretty much it! This recipe is that easy.

Start with a good handful of pitted olives, add some toasted walnuts, plenty of parsley and basil, some garlic, and a little lemon juice. Start pureeing and pour in the oil until you have smooth and thick sauce.

Once you have the sauce made, use it right away or keep it in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.

Step by step on how to make the recipe.

How to use the pesto

You can use this anywhere you would use traditional pesto with great results!

You can:

  • have this in pesto pasta
  • make bruschetta or crostini
  • turn it into a dip using Greek yogurt, sour cream, or ricotta
  • add it to salad dressing to give it some zing
  • toss it with a potato salad
  • spread it over a pizza

So many choices!

Pesto over pasta and shrimp in a skillet.

If you try my recipe for Green Olive Pesto, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

This quick puree of olives, basil, parsley, and walnuts with olive oil makes a delicious and versatile homemade green olive pesto. Amazing over pasta, on crostini, as a dip, in a sandwich, and more! | justalittlebitofbacon.com #italianrecipes #meditrraneandiet #italian #pesto #greenolives #italianfood
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Simple Homemade Green Olive Pesto

This quick puree of olives, basil, parsley, and walnuts with olive oil makes a delicious and versatile homemade green olive pesto. Amazing over pasta, on crostini, as a dip, in a sandwich, and more!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Total Time15 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: green olive pesto, olive pesto
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 175kcal
Author: justalittlebitofbacon

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup green olives, pitted and packed down
  • 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • garnishes: chopped olives, basil leaves, toasted walnuts

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 350F. Spread out the walnuts on a baking sheet. Toast them for 5 minutes.
  • To the bowl of a food processor add the walnuts, olives, parsley, basil, garlic, and lemon juice.
  • Start the processor and pour in the olive oil while it runs. If the sauce is too thick, pour in a couple more tablespoons olive oil.
White bowl of pesto and serving spoon with text overlay - Green Olive Pesto.
Bowls of bright green pesto with text overlay - Green Olive Pesto.

Related Posts:

  • Shrimp Pesto Pasta with Walnuts
    Shrimp Pesto Pasta with Walnuts
  • Italian Walnut Parsley Pesto
    Italian Walnut Parsley Pesto
  • Pesto Pasta with White Beans
    Pesto Pasta with White Beans
  • Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
    Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
  • Greek Pasta with Shrimp, Feta, and Olives
    Greek Pasta with Shrimp, Feta, and Olives
  • Italian Salsa Verde
    Italian Salsa Verde

Filed Under: 10 ingredients or less, 15 minutes or less, gluten free, italian recipes, mediterranean recipes, recipe, sauces and condiments, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: basil, green olives, nuts, parsley

« Pan Seared Cod with Tomatoes and Olives
Amazing Fudgy Brownies with Peppermint Ganache »

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Don’t miss a post!

Get new recipes in your inbox every week!

Disclosure:

Justalittlebitofbacon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Comments

  1. Gilloian Swift says

    October 18, 2021 at 11:40 am

    Why do you not add parmasan

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      October 18, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      I didn’t feel the recipe needed it, but of course you can add some if you wish.

      Reply
  2. Trish says

    January 28, 2019 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    Ooooh I love love love green olive pesto! I’ve got a recipe that I’ve been making for years, but I’m intrigued by the walnuts in this one. So green and delicious!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      January 29, 2019 at 9:34 am

      I tried a few different nuts, and walnuts were my favorites in combination with the olives. I hope you try them too! šŸ™‚

      Reply
    • Dawn says

      June 11, 2020 at 8:19 am

      Tried this recipe with home grown olives right off my tree. Added them to pasta salad. What a great treat!

      Reply
      • justalittlebitofbacon says

        June 11, 2020 at 10:22 pm

        Awesome! I’m so jealous of your olive tree!

        Reply
  3. Annissa says

    January 28, 2019 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    I’m always on the hunt for low-carb condiments and this one sure fits the bill! I love the flavor combination of olives, walnuts and herbs. It looks so easy to make with a food processor. Making this to drizzle over some grilled pork chops tonight!

    Reply
    • justalittlebitofbacon says

      January 29, 2019 at 9:33 am

      Oh, yes this would great over pork chops. Or zoodles. Or grilled veggies. It’s quite adaptable!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

Don’t miss a post!

Sign up here to have new recipes delivered to your inbox every week.

Follow me on:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Spring Flings

What do you get when you combine a custard pie and fruit cobbler? A strawberry rhubarb cobbler with custard filling! Delicious, creamy, and full of fruit.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Custard Filling

Homemade Meyer lemon raspberry bars are great twist on classic lemon bars! Start with a simple flaky and buttery shortbread crust and then top that with a thick and rich layer of lemon and raspberry curd. Tart, amazing, and a beautiful reddish-orange color.

Meyer Lemon Raspberry Bars

Strawberry Shortcake Dip - All the fun and yummy flavors of strawberry shortcake are in this quick and easy crowd-pleasing strawberry shortcake dip. Great with graham crackers, strawberry slices, and shortbread cookies. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Strawberry Shortcake Dip

Lamb and Artichoke Stew - I love this Greek inspired spring stew full of lean lamb, artichokes, tomatoes, and plenty of fresh oregano. Serve it over rice or with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Greek Lamb and Artichoke Stew

Layered Frozen Strawberry Lime Daiquiri - This frozen strawberry daiquiri is all about intense fruit flavor from frozen strawberries pureed with rum and lime juice. For an extra festive touch make some lime daiquiri too and layer it on top of the strawberry daiquiri. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Layered Frozen Strawberry and Lime Daiquiri

Fresh Corn and Fava Bean Salad - This fresh and flavorful salad of corn and fava beans is a great way to take that tiny pile of fava beans which you extracted from a giant pile of bean pods and turn it into a satisfying side dish. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Fresh Corn and Fava Bean Salad

Reader Favorites

Learn how to make the best homemade butterscotch sauce! This easy dessert sauce needs only a few minutes and a few ingredients for delicious old fashioned flavor! Use on ice cream, over cake, in buttercream frosting, and more. | justalittlebitofbacon.com #butterscotch #butterscotchsauce #dessertrecipes #dessertsauce #dessert

Old Fashioned Homemade Butterscotch Sauce

Pear Quick Bread with Streusel Topping - What to do with those overripe pears sitting on your counter? Make an easy pear quick bread from them! Great for breakfast, for snacks, and it freezes well. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Pear Quick Bread with Streusel Topping

Love making artisan bread but want it to be quick and easy? This rosemary no knead bread bakes up like a dream in your dutch oven and only takes a few minutes of work. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Olive Oil and Rosemary No Knead Bread

Deep fried Brussels sprouts served with a sweet and tangy sauce are a yummy snack, an addictive appetizer, and a fun Thanksgiving dish. Gluten free and simple to make! | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts

Easy, delicious, and full of bubbles! This pomegranate prosecco cocktail has everything you need for a great holiday drink. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Pomegranate Prosecco Cocktail

Parmesan Truffle Fries - Use frozen, bagged fries to have tasty truffle fries, covered in truffle oil, parmesan, and parsley on the table in less than 15 minutes. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

Quick and Easy Parmesan Truffle Fries

Copyright © 2022 — Just a Little Bit of Bacon • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy • Disclaimer

Genesis Framework • Foodie Pro Theme • by Shay Bocks