Obviously, use fresh basil! The fresher the better, but living in Wisconsin I realize that you can’t always pop out to the garden to grab a fresh bunch. Luckily your local grocery store and even Amazon has some great fresh options too!

Always use fresh garlic! You have no idea how long that jar of minced garlic has been sitting on the shelf. You don’t even have to mince the clove of garlic in this recipe either – just toss the whole clove right in!

Use a good olive oil! You can learn more about what makes a good olive oil in my Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Bread Dip post. But basically you’re looking for an olive oil that is cold pressed and organic. This one is my fave.

Use your favorite nut! I like to use walnuts or pecans for this pesto because I always have them on hand. Most recipes use pine nuts but they are super expensive and I find that they don’t make a huge difference in the end result. Use what you’ve got in the pantry – just make sure they haven’t gone rancid (which can happen really easily with nuts).