Last updated on September 25th, 2024
You’ve likely seen pesto used in millions of ways. According to Tik-Tok chefs and home cooks, you can add it to anything.
But not here in Italy! We’ve got some pretty strict rules when it comes to eating and what you can and cannot do with pesto is included.
Let’s take a look at how Italians use pesto. These recipes and dishes include pasta, but there are also many other main dishes and side dishes.
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Farro Salad
Farro salad or insalata di farro is a classic cold farro salad we eat a lot in Italy during the summer when it’s too hot to cook. One of my quickest methods for putting together a farro salad with little time is to toss cooked farro with pesto and cherry tomatoes.
Make It: Make farro salad using Spring Italian Farro Salad – The Easiest Whole Grain Picnic Salad as your base using whatever seasonal vegetables you like and adding a couple scoops of pesto for extra flavor.
Pasta Sfoglia with Pesto
Pasta sfoglia is puff pastry in Italy that is often used to make appetizers. You can fill and fold it with classic Italian ingredients such as prosciutto, sausage, cheese and even pesto. Bake and this easy to make finger food is perfect for any aperitivo or picnic lunch.
Lasagne
Lasagne in Italy is typically made with meat sauce but not in Liguria. In this central Italian region, pesto reigns above all else, including lasagne made with thin slices of potato, rich egg pasta, freshly made pesto and Italian cheese.
White Bean Salad with Pesto
Even better than tuna and white bean salad is a simple white bean salad with pesto. Keep in mind that by adding pesto, this dish is no longer a vegan picnic salad.
Make It: Add pesto to one of my favorite picnic friendly recipes Tuscan Bean Salad – My Italian Family’s Favorite Way To Eat White Beans In The Summer.
Roasted Potatoes with Pesto
Roasted potatoes are a staple side dish on the Italian table. My Italian in-laws might not approve of this one but I am a firm believer that roasted potatoes drizzled with pesto is a crowd pleaser. Alternatively, you could add a tablespoon into a vinaigrette-based potato salad for extra flavor.
Minestrone with Pesto
Minestrone, Italian vegetable soup, is a soup we make in Italy year-round with seasonal produce. Although typically associated with French cooking, the Italians might also add a small scoop of pesto to their bowl of minestrone right before serving to brighten everything up.
Make It: Learn how to make classic minestrone with Italian Recipe for Minestrone Soup – That Your Kids Will Actually Want to Eat!
Pizza with Pesto
Pizza in Italy comes in any number of styles with various toppings, including pesto in regions like Liguria. Most likely, if the pizza is made with pesto, it will be considered a pizza bianca or white pizza without tomatoes.
Pizza Basics: To learn more about pizza in Italy, check out
Ordering Pizza in Italy
Authentic Italian Pizza Toppings
Best Pizza In Venice, Italy – My ‘Don’t Miss’ List
Best Pizza in Florence, Italy – From a Local
How Do Italians Eat Pizza?
Do Italians Eat Pizza With a Fork?
What is Pinsa?
Focaccia with Pesto
Focaccia is a kind of Italian flatbread originally from Liguria but famous throughout all of Italy. Some varieties may be made with pesto and topped with cherry tomatoes, a true delight!
Make It: Learn to make focaccia with my step-by-step instructions in Authentic Ligurian Focaccia Recipe – Straight From Italy. Alternatively, you can use my schiacciata recipe and add pesto right before baking.
Caprese Salad with Pesto
A caprese salad is an easy summer salad made with mozzarella, tomato and basil, the holy trinity of both flavor and color in Italy. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can add just a light drizzle of pesto to your salad, as if it were olive oil.
Make It: Learn the correct proportions of a classic Italian Caprese salad recipe Caprese Salad Recipe – How We Make And Serve It In Italy.
Panino with Pesto
Sandwiches in Italy are huge, especially good with focaccia or schiacciata. Adding a dollop of pesto to a vegetarian sandwich made with roasted vegetables and cheese is particularly good!
Florence Travelers: Learn where to get the absolute best sandwiches in my recommendations for 7 Off The Hook Sandwich Shops In Florence and The Best Schiacciata In Florence.
Fish with Pesto
Adding pesto to fish isn’t particularly common in Italy but it can be used as a marinade. Simply top your white fish (I like hearty versions like halibut) with a bit of pesto and bake as usual (avoid grilling in which case the pesto can burn).
Tuna and White Bean Salad with Pesto
Tuna and white bean salad is something we eat a lot of during the summers here in Tuscany when it gets quite hot. Adding a dollop of pesto right before serving makes it more appealing to my kids and it’s a no brainer!
Make It: Keep your summers cool with my recipe for Tuscan Bean Salad.
I hope you’ve found a new way to use pesto! Buon appetito!
