We have gobloads of tomatoes and basil so we decided to make the obvious: gazpacho and pesto. Here are some shots from the evening : )
Rather than dirty the Cuisinart (pesto) and the Vitamix (gazpacho) I tried to do both in the Vitamix with great success.
I used this recipe with probably a lot more basil leaves than 2 cups!
Since the recipe made a ton, we froze most of it in Mazen’s baby food trays for long-term use.
Love that this one has a lid:
This one worked too though
And this jar was put in the fridge and used up in 3 days!
Next up: gazpacho. No blender cleaning necessary!
We used our standard recipe as a base – with lots of roasted red peppers.
Dinner the next night: pesto rolls with chilled gazpacho with avocado + chickpeas
Jeri says
I want a vitamin so bad. Trying to talk myself into it because you have to go for the top of the line right? But that’s like a mortgage payment almost. LOL! The things I do to be my own Top Chef
Brenda says
It’s more than a mortgage payment for me!! For what it’s worth, Consumer Report’s ranked the Ninja bender above all other blenders including the most expensive Vitamix. I’ll take $100-120 over $600 any day!
Live Love Yum Well says
Yes, it is really expensive but if you’re in a position to do so consider it. The machine lasts over 10 to 20 years and blends everything whole silky smooth. I sold mine a year ago to downsize, and I’ve tried all the other ‘cheaper’ brands and still got lumps of spinach or berries. I’m hoping to get one again in the future. With that said, it will take a few months to set the money aside. Maybe try to Save $25/week for 4 to 5 months and you can get a refurbished one for that price. ?* Note: the vitamix is TWICE the price in many non-US countries. You’re lucky!
Kelly says
I purchased a refurbished vitamix from the company. It’s still pricey – but significantly less so than a brand new. You would never ever know it’s not brand new – works incredibly!! I’ve actually been able to eliminate nearly all other small appliances (and made some $$ by doing so!) since the vitamix does so much!!
Kinsey says
The gazpacho looks awesome, I love the chickpeas. I just had a huge amount of tomatoes to use up, so I roasted them into a pesto with some basil and almonds. It’s fabulous on quinoa, or spread onto bruschetta.
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
You’ve just reminded me I have basil I need to use out there! I’ve got old pesto in the freezer and a pesto chicken panini is sounding pretty good right now!
Amy @ The Little Honey Bee says
That all looks delicious! Reminds me of Italy
Paige Cunningham says
Oh I’ve never tried gazpacho…that recipe is just full of things I love..can’t wait to give it a try!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
Both recipes look and sound delicious! I need to get over my fear of gazpacho. I’ve only had it once and I felt like I was eating a bowl of salsa. I need to try to make my own.
mary @ minutes per mile says
we made pesto in our vitamix two nights ago — turned out great! after reading your praise of vitamix for so long, we decided to put one on our registry and have fallen in love with it. never though to freeze pesto. brilliant idea (ps ours is pictured here: http://minutespermile.com/2013/07/28/ambition/)
Lauren says
I have a TON of basil that I need to use up. Pesto is genius, what recipe did you use?
Megan (The Lyons' Share) says
I can’t believe how much basil you have! That’s amazing! What are the little lumps in your gazpacho – chickpeas? corn?
Maggie @ Sunnyside Up Smile says
The pesto and gazpacho both look SO DELICIOUS! I actually had spinach pesto for dinner last night too 😉
Marissa@ohhhsolovely says
what a great way to use all that beautiful food! your garden must be quite voluptuous! hehe!
Livi says
that dinner looks delicious, and perfect for a hot summer night. definitely adding it to my list!
Renee says
Wow looks delicious! I haven’t forgotten about the recipe for you either. Should have it for you today. Then by the end of the week I will have a blog post up on the cheese straws and some variations you can do. So look for that at www.anannysperspective.com
I am not a big fan of pesto but maybe I should try a homemade version! I might like that better
Christine@ Apple of My Eye says
Holy smokes, that’s a ton of basil! I love the idea of freezing it. It would be so easy to just pop one out and add it to another dish for some extra flavor :).
I also love that you guys cook together! So cute!
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope says
Wow! That is a LOT of basil! I love that you made so much pesto! Pesto is a favorite of mine. 🙂 I’ve never tried gazpacho before. It’s on my list of things to make one day!
Kelly @ Kelly Runs for Food says
Your basil stash looks a lot like ours! I will definitely need to find recipes for it soon!
Anna @ On Anna's Plate says
The vitamix is magic. I’m convinced it can do anything. 🙂
Not a huge gazpacho fan, but pesto…yum!
Jennifer says
We just made fresh pesto last night, too. I love the smell of fresh basil in the house. Did you grow yours from seed? I just started some.
Melissa says
Looks excellent! I love summer tomatoes, they always taste so fresh and perfectly accent whatever they happen to be cooked with.
Shel@PeachyPalate says
The pesto is a beautiful vibrant green colour!!!
Tiffany says
Hey Kath,
Make you really soak Mazen’s food storage after you have used the pesto because the garlic from the pesto will make the storage container smell.
I put pesto in containers before and afterward couldn’t use them for anything besides pesto or savory dishes because the pesto/garlic smell was still there and would make anything I made smell and taste like garlic. (I once unknowingly used one for my overnight oats and my overnight oats tasted slightly garlicky.)
KathEats says
Yikes!
Kim says
Oh my gosh, I would be in heaven with all that basil! I LOVE pesto! When I was a kid, my mom had a nice garden and would make pesto every summer and freeze it so we could have “fresh” pesto all year long. I’ve grown basil in a pot before, but it never really became abundant. I’ve been dying to have a garden to do just as my mom (and you) did… soon enough! 🙂
Cathy says
Matt is there anything you cannot do? Amazing!!
Matt says
Haha, thanks!
Samantha says
Your basil is amazing! I barely harvested enough to make one batch of pesto, let alone anything else.
Tami @Nutmeg Notebook says
Ice cube trays are amazing for freezing so many items. I juice my Meyers Lemons and freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen I pop them into freezer bags so the trays are free for more items. Extra tomato paste leftover when you only use a tablespoon or two does well frozen into cubes. I am so jealous of your garden!
Alison says
Mmm that all looks so fresh and delicious! Thumbs up for efficient blender use!
Sandra says
The size of those basil leaves are amazing! You have the veggie and herb garden down pat.
Ella says
YUMMM!!! Your basil looks incredible and I’m drooling over those tomatoes! I have a measly measly windowsill potted basil and just put some tomatoes in the ground (rather, my dad did… Can you tell I’m not much of a gardener?) We have yet to see if there will be any yield. You are my role models.
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
YUM!!! I love tomatoes AND basil! I try to throw pesto into every recipe, lol! I make a huge batch as you did then freeze it at a later date. I usually put a batch in the freezer BEFORE adding the Parmesan…as it tends to get a bit bitter once frozen! Just a tip 😉
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
Fresh basil is pretty much my favorite thing ever—– I only dream of growing basil like that- how on earth did you do so well?!?! JEALOUS!!!!
Ashley says
I cannot wait to have a garden, though I think I would run out of basil because the boyfriend and I eat it on everything! When I saw that picture of Matt holding all of it I was very jealous. I also love that you guys cook together, we have started to do that and I feel it brings us closer.
char eats greens says
I think my jaw dropped from the amount of basil you had!! What a GREAT idea to do both in the vitamix. I busted out my food processor two weeks in a row to make pesto and it’s just such a pain in the a$$ to get that thing and all its parts cleaned after using it! I wish I could find those fire roasted sweet red peppers here, but I just know that I most definitely never will lol. I’ve never tried making a gazpacho, but I want to!!
Miller P. says
That is a ridiculous amount of basil, but the final product looks delicious. Thanks for the great photos.
Rachel says
Now you’ve made me lust after a Vitamix even more than I already was! I really like your idea of freezing the pesto in the baby food trays. I think one of those silicon ice cube trays would work, too – I’m going to try it this weekend. Thanks for the tips, and I love your site!
Chelsea @BigBitesLittleBudget says
How easy is that! I love pesto, put it on everything. Having those frozen pesto cubes will make for easy dinners throughout the winter.
Emily @ Life on Food says
I cannot decide if I like cold soup or not. Decisions. Decisions.
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
That gazpacho sounds and looks delicious!!!
Alisha @ Alisha's Appetite says
My jaw dropped when I saw that basil! So jealous!! Fresh basil is the epitome of summer.
Ttrockwood says
I lovelovelove tomatoes and therefore gazpacho- i had some of the best gazpacho of my life in spain. Often they would also add a slice of stale crustless bread as a way to thicken it, and i had a version with almonds that was lovely too. Your basil harvest is insane! Maybe you should put a pesto bun on the menu at great harvest with all the pesto you have!
Jess says
Kath, can you tell me the brand of the baby food tray with the lid? Thx!
KathEats says
It’s OXO’s
Neil Butterfield says
Sounds amazing, I love tomato based dishes, meals and sauces. Thanks for sharing.
Lindsay says
Love the addition of the chickpeas. We are trying to do more meals without meat, and that is just a fab addition I would not have thought of yet! Also, whenever we have TONS of toms and Mr. Basil hanging around, we make bruschetta. It’s currently our replacement for pizza because it is so quick and easy!
Tess @ Tips on Healthy Living says
I’m going to have to try this recipe. I’ve always wanted to go to Italy, but this is much more affordable (and even delicious).