Garlic Scape Pesto: An Easy Garlic Scapes Recipe!

There are endless possibilities for this Garlic Scape Pesto. Easily made in a food processor, this garlic scapes recipe is great with pasta, meats and so much more!

There are two reasons I plant garlic in my backyard.

First, I love to use garlic in cooking. You may have noticed that I use fresh garlic cloves with vegetables…. a lot!

Some of my favorite recipes include Sautéed Garlic Swiss Chard, Garlicky Sautéed Broccolini, and Garlicky Steamed Green Beans, to name but a few. 

The second reason is garlic scapes!

Last fall, I planted some certified organic Italian Porcelain Hardneck Garlic, ordered online from Boundary Garlic Farm (not sponsored). I could not have been happier to see that my garlic had survived a very wet spring.

As a result, I now have garlic scapes to enjoy!

Just in case you are not familiar with this vegetable, let’s take a closer look.

What are garlic scapes?

They are brilliant green in color and emerge as twisty and curly flower stalks from the bulbs of hardneck garlic.

They are sometimes referred to as:

• garlic shoots or curls;
• garlic stems or spears or
• serpent garlic.

Fresh garlic scapes are only available for a couple of weeks -usually very late spring to early summer.

You would probably not be surprised if I told you that garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavor without that signature pungent quality.

How to harvest

If you planted hardneck garlic, and have garlic scapes, it is advisable to remove them so that the plant directs all of its energy to growing the garlic bulbs.

You can simply snap them off at the base or use a scissor. 

How to store 

Simply rinse the scapes and place in a mesh or a plastic bag (left open at one end).   They will keep for a couple of weeks.

They can also be frozen. For more details, click here.

What to make

A young garlic scape is very tender.  It can be consumed much like chives or green onions -which is to say, raw and chopped up finely.

It makes a great garnish for soups and salads. This Chickpea Summer Salad and this Egg Drop Soup are just two of my favorites.

As the garlic scape matures, it becomes a little bit more fibrous and tough. At this stage, the scape can be consumed much like sautéed garlic. They are absolutely great in stir-fries!

Another great way to use garlic scapes is to transform them into pesto. Are you ready?

 

How to make garlic scape pesto

As this recipe uses so few ingredients, make sure you use the best, high-quality ingredients in order to get the best tasting pesto sauce.

You will need about 10 minutes to prep some of the ingredients, this includes washing and drying the herbs. 

You also need to lightly toast the chopped walnuts (about ¼ cup). Transfer the nuts to a bowl and allow to cool down prior to processing the pesto.

Place the chopped 6-8 garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor, pulse for about 30 seconds.

Add the toasted walnuts, basil leaves, parsley, cheese and lemon juice. Pulse together for another 30 seconds or until coarsely chopped. Scrape downsides of the bowl.

With the food processor on low, slowly drizzle the olive oil in the mixture for about 30-60 seconds or until desired consistency.

The only thing left to do is to season to taste and enjoy!

Pesto uses

Any variation of pesto, including this garlic pesto, can be served with:

Pasta: Tradition will dictate linguine, but this sauce also clings to twisty pastas like fusilli, gemelli, trofie or strozzapreti. 

Sandwich spread: Spread thinly in your favorite sandwich introduces a wonderful new flavor.

Marinating meats, chicken, or fish: Such a great flavor enhancer!

Recipe origins

There used to be a time when all reference to pesto was the recipe for classic Traditional Basil Pesto. 

Over the years, there have been so many creative pesto recipes developed with different combinations of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

After I discovered this delicious recipe for Avocado Pesto Cavatelli, I become obsessed with experimenting and creating different pesto sauces. 

I hope you get a chance to make this easy garlic scapes recipe… I think you are going to love it!

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this garlic pesto sauce recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!