5-Ingredient Sunflower Seed Pesto

Raw unsalted sunflower seeds are my favorite alternative to pine nuts in pesto, and make homemade pesto much more budget-friendly.

Tips for the Greenest Pesto

Basil oxidizes quickly, turning from bright green to brown rapidly after its cellular contents are exposed to air through chopping or blending. To minimize oxidation, work fast and follow these tips:

• Blanch your basil– A quick blanch of basil leaves in boiling water will inactivate basil’s oxidizing enzymes. This is the most effective way to ensure your basil stays bright green, though it will slightly change the pesto’s flavor. Pesto made with blanched basil will taste less herby, more cheesy and nutty. I used this method for the pesto in the top photo on this page, and you can see the pesto is brighter green than the batch of pesto I froze in the mini muffin tin.
• Protect in oil: If not using right away, transfer pesto to an airtight container and smooth down the top. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pesto, forming a protective layer. Transfer to fridge to store. Before using, bring to room temperature and mix oil layer into pesto
• Quickly Freeze: My favorite way to freeze pesto is in mini muffin tins. First spray mini-muffin tin with olive oil. Fill each muffin well with pesto. Transfer to freezer. Once frozen, remove tray from freezer and scoop out pesto cubes. Transfer cubes to plastic freezer bag and put back in freezer.

Sunflower Power

Sunflowers are native to North and Central America and were domesticated over 4000 years ago in Mexico. Sunflowers are often grown as the unofficial ‘fourth sister’ in Native American Three Sisters polyculture of corn, beans, and squash. In this system, sunflowers are planted along the north edge of gardens. Today, sunflowers are grown for oil, seed, animal food (livestock forage and bird seed), and as ornamental flowers. 

Sunflowers are major players in phytoremediation- using plants to extract hazardous contaminates from the soil. Sunflowers are able to readily absorb soil-bound nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic, and uranium. They were even successfully used in the cleanup efforts following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster to extract radioactive cesium and strontium from contaminated soil. They can also be used in rhizofiltration, where plants are grown hydroponically and water is filtered through the root mass to remove contaminants. One study found that sunflowers reduced uranium levels in water by 95% after 24 hours. The effectiveness of using sunflowers for phytoremediation is likely dependent on the variety used. More research is needed to have a better understanding of which sunflower varieties are most effective in removing different contaminants.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are high in antioxidants, including vitamin E, selenium, and several phenolics and flavonoids. They are also rich in unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoliec acid- an heart-healthy fat that our body uses to relax blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure.

As sunflowers are so effective absorbing pollutants from the soil, it is important to eat sunflower seeds in moderation. Even sunflowers grown on uncontaminated soil will take up cadmium, which naturally occurs in soil. The World Health Organization recommends limiting yourself to a handful of shelled sunflower seeds a day.

Recipes to make with sunflower seed pesto

• Cozy One-Pot Farro with Green Beans and Tomatoes
• Spring Farmer’s Market Farro Bowl

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sunflower Seed Pesto

Sunflower seeds are my favorite alternative to pine nuts in pesto, and make homemade pesto much more budget-friendly. This recipe will yield ½ cup of pesto.

Total Time5 minutes mins

Author: Sammy

Equipment

• Food Processor

Ingredients

• 4 c basil
• 2 tbsp raw and unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 garlic clove peeled
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ c grated parmesan cheese
• ½ c extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Place all ingredients except olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for several seconds. With the food processor running, slowly stream in olive oil and blend into a thick paste, adding more olive oil if needed.
• If not using right away, transfer pesto to an airtight container and smooth down the top. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pesto, forming a protective layer. Transfer to fridge to store. Before using, bring to room temperature and mix oil layer into pesto
• To freeze: spray mini-muffin tin with olive oil. Fill each muffin well with pesto. Transfer to freezer. Once frozen, remove tray from freezer and scoop out pesto cubes. Transfer cubes to plastic freezer bag and put back in freezer.