I hate wasting things. My dad jokes that I’m a Depression Era baby, and in many ways I probably am. This would somewhat explain my love of cooking, right? It’s cheap, and I get to use things up.
Sometimes when you buy things, they’re stupidly expensive. Or you have to buy them in greater quantity than what you need. Raise your hand if you hate buying basil at the store.
C’mon. $1.99 or more for a tiny little bunch?
Remember how it turned brown before you finished it off last time?
Don’t make me feel like I’m alone here. Raise up those hands!
Well, I’m done with that. For one thing, it’s spring, and my garden is in the process of being planted — which reminds me that I need to water my strawberry plants tomorrow — which means fresh basil whenever I want it all summer long. Once it matures by the end of June.
Until then, I have a new favorite treat. As with so many excessively cool things, this comes to me via Trader Joe’s.
Check it out. It’s perfectly chopped and measured fresh basil that’s frozen. And it’s less than a dollar for twenty teaspoons. I don’t get that much from the bunch I buy at the store, I can guarantee that.
Aren’t those cute little ice cube tray-looking things? It’s possible I bought this to try just because it was so cute. And yes, I got the cilantro one, too. Gotta love the extra flavors.
You can’t quite see that I have one cube missing, but I do. This means that I can attest to the yummy actual basil flavor from this concern before trying.
I made ravioli the other day but didn’t feel like making sauce. I was going to do just a little brown butter — totally easy — except that some how, some freaky way, we were out of butter in my house. And that NEVER happens.
As I was searching through the freezer for butter, I found my forgotten little basil gems and decided to put some basil on my ravioli. Which then turned into warming oil to melt the basil. Which then turned into not-so-pesto — which was totally yum.
How to Make Not So Pesto
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Heat the olive oil, and add the minced garlic. Let it cook for a minute or so, then add the basil cube. Stir with a spatula, and add just a tiny bit of salt and then some pepper to taste.
Were I not putting this on cheese ravioli, I probably would have also added some fresh Parm. Ok ok ok, so I forgot. It was super good without it. Even my husband was impressed, so shh don’t tell him this was my lazy way out of making sauce.
This made the perfect amount for our two servings of ravioli — just enough taste without overpowering the ravioli. And ummm yeah… it all disappeared (again) before I managed to take a picture.
Enjoy!
Not So Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon frozen basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil, and add the minced garlic. Let it cook a minute or so, then add the basil cube. Stir with a spatula, and add just a tiny bit of salt and then some pepper to taste.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 teaspoon frozen basil, salt and pepper
Notes
- You can add fresh parmesan cheese to this recipe.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
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PS Yes, I know that today is Cinco de Mayo. And I so should have gone with something Mexican. Oops. Next week, I promise! Or go check out my Spanish Rice or Southwest Tortilla Stacker.
Um, yep. I’m waving BOTH hands. High in the air!
I have taken to freezing any leftover basil, which works pretty well as Trader’s must have figured out. I just crumble it up in the ziploc bag (works perfectly when it’s truly frozen through) – do the same thing with spinach. But yeah, for less than $1 I probably can’t even grow it that cheap, LOL! I’ll definitely check it out as there is a Trader’s next to my office. And your ravioli sounds great!
I love pesto – even the “not so” sounds delicious. 🙂 And easy. I’ll check that out at TJ’s next time I’m there. What a find!
Hey, you mentioned cilantro – isn’t that typically found in mexican food?
Karen – I’m jealous. I still need to fix my garden and go buy the plants (because I forgot to start them) so I can enjoy my basil in everything. yum!
septembermom – Never? It’s so easy! And I mean regular pesto; this is even easier. go for it.
JAM – It totally rocks, especially for the middle of winter, which never seems to end in Chicago!
Kristen – They have to sell these elsewhere. Keep looking!
Lisa – Oh it is… if you don’t have one nearby, I hope they make one soon.
Snow White – This is another way… or you can make it the normal way and just leave the pine nuts out 🙂
Brenda – It will wait for you, but hurry up and go back!
Cookie – You definitely do. And it’s veggie for you, too.
Weaselmomma – Aren’t they though? That’s the only reason I bought them. The utility was secondary.
Emily – Anytime!
Angela – Ooooo, spinach. I should so do that one. Thanks for the tip.
RAS – Yep, cilantro is typically in Mexican food. I cook a lot of Mexican, too. And Indian. And otehrs. I experiment.