What to do with leftover pesto, including instructions on how to freeze pesto and leftover pesto recipe ideas.
Welcome to another installment in my Waste Not series. In these posts, I tackle food waste and try to find ways to use up leftovers so we are throwing away less and using more! So far in this series, I’ve written about:
What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree What to Do With Leftover Pie Dough
Today, Pesto!
When it comes to leftover pesto, you have two options: make something else with it or freeze it–Did you know you could freeze pesto? You can, and it’s the best.
I don’t like to eat back to back pesto dishes, so I almost always end up freezing my pesto (or cooking with frozen pesto) and it works so well. I feel good about not wasting food, and it’s nice knowing I always have pesto on hand.
How to Freeze Pesto
For larger amounts, simply spoon pesto into a freezer bag, freeze flat, mark the amount and date on the bag. If you’re like me and tend to use smaller amounts of pesto, freeze it in tablespoon-size portions in an ice cube tray. Just line your tray with plastic wrap for easy removal and clean up, and freeze cubes of pesto. Store them in a freezer bag. If you don’t have an ice cube tray, a mini muffin or even regular-size muffin tin works great.
How long does frozen pesto last?
Frozen pesto is best if used within 3 months of being frozen.
How to defrost frozen pesto.
If you plan ahead and pop your pesto over to the fridge, it will defrost in 12 to 24 hours, depending on how it’s frozen. But pesto will defrost pretty quickly on the counter, especially if frozen flat in plastic bags. If you are putting it into a sauce, you don’t even need to defrost it. Frozen cubes can be dropped right into sauce. Just make sure everything stays on the heat long enough to get hot.
When you are ready to use your pesto, some things to make with leftover pesto:
Pesto Salmon Milano Recipe from Wholesome Yum
Recipes that use 1/2 Cup of Leftover Pesto
Pesto Salmon Milano Recipe from Wholesome Yum Basil Pesto Hummus from Three Olives Branch Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe With Beef & Pesto from Wholesome Yum
Pesto Chicken Caprese Salad from Nutmeg Nanny
Recipes that use 1/4 Cup of Leftover Pesto
Pesto Chicken Caprese Salad from Nutmeg Nanny Pesto Chicken Sandwich of Sourdough Multigrain Pesto Swirl Bread from Herbivore Cucina Easy Vegan Pesto Tortilla Pizza from Veggie Inspired
Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two With Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Recipes that use 3 Tablespoons (or Less) of Leftover Pesto
Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two With Oven-roasted Tomatoes Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Pesto Mayo from Cozy Home Cooking Slow Cooker Potato Soup With Pesto From Peas and Crayons Easy Cheesy Vegan Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese from Peas and Crayons Pesto Breakfast Rolls from Savory Tooth Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Wondering what to do with leftover Easter candy? Make an Easter Candy Freakshake. Ridiculously fun and ridiculously good!
As is the tradition here at Baking Mischief, I like to use this day not as a chance to play a trick on you, lovely readers, but for us all to play a trick on our bodies and make something terrible and ridiculous and insane.
Last year, I made a Salted Caramel Snickerdoodle Milkshake (I still have cinnamon and caramel dreams about that one), and this year, since Easter falls in April, I made an EASTER CANDY FREAKSHAKE!!!
Look at that ridiculous, stupid thing.
I love it so much.
And look, I don’t think there is ever really a good excuse for freakshakes, but I’m going to make an argument that this shake is actually a net positive in the world, because if you make it after Easter and make it to use up leftover Easter candy, you are actually recycling.
Recycling = good. Ergo, so must be this shake.
(I do not stand by this argument.)
Okay, let’s break this thing down because it’s a little overwhelming to take in all at once. The shake itself is a simple ice cream shake–use whatever flavor ice cream you like best– I used mint with a touch of blue coloring to give it a robin’s egg hue.
On the outside, you have vanilla buttercream studded with bunny Peeps and pastel M&Ms. Then you top it off with whipped cream , a chopped up Reese’s Egg, some crushed Robin Eggs, and a chocolate bunny head (because how could you not).
To say this Easter Candy Freakshake is an experience is an understatement, and it is way fun to make and drink.
So make your run this morning an extra long one, enjoy arts and crafts time, and dig in. I did. (And then sugar crashed hard. Drink responsibly, guys!)
Looking for more over-the-top desserts? Try these Buckeye Brownie Cookies , Rich and Thick Hot Chocolate , and Dutch Apple Pie .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Handheld electric mixer
- ▢ Blender
- ▢ Sturdy straw or skewer for the bunny head
Buttercream
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) butter softened
- ▢ 1 cup ( 120g ) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1 teaspoon milk or heavy cream
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Candy
- ▢ 12 Marshmallow Peeps
- ▢ 1/4 cup M&M’s
- ▢ 1 hollow chocolate bunny
- ▢ 1 Reese’s Egg chopped
- ▢ 4 Robin Eggs crushed
Milkshake
- ▢ 2 cups ice cream slightly softened
- ▢ 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
- ▢ 1/2 cup whipped cream
Instructions
Buttercream
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, milk (or cream), and vanilla. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until smooth, adding a little extra milk if necessary.
Candy
- Spread a thick layer of buttercream around the top half of your jar or glass. Add a dollop of frosting to the backs of the peeps and place them over the buttercream. Repeat with the M&M’s, filling in any open space.
- Use a serrated knife to gently saw off the head of the chocolate bunny and set aside.
Milkshake
- In a blender, combine ice cream and 1/4 cup of the milk. Blend until smooth. Add up to 1/4 cup more of milk, until milkshake reaches your desired consistency. Pour into prepared jar.
- Top with whipped cream, chopped Reese’s Egg, and crushed Robin Eggs. Place a straw in the shake and mount the bunny head over it. Serve and enjoy!
This recipe for Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream makes just four bonkers rich and amazing chocolate cupcakes, perfect for a late-night chocolate fix or intimate birthday party.
Happy Saturday, friends! How is your weekend going so far? Have anything fun planned? I plan on celebrating the lovely spring weather by whipping up a big batch of my Jam Scones to share and then maybe just lying out in the sun with an audiobook (have any audiobook recommendations?) for a couple of hours and soaking up all that vitamin D.
But first, cupcakes.
Today’s recipe is for all you chocoholic bakers out there who are craving a chocolate cupcake but don’t really want a dozen of them sitting around your kitchen.
How does just four sound?
This small-batch cupcake recipe makes exactly four perfectly adorable chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. The recipe is simple, relatively quick (for a cupcake recipe), and 100% delicious.
Like my Small-batch Buckeye Brownie Cookies , these cupcakes are made with actual melted chocolate in the batter, so they come out super moist and amazing every time, and the chocolate buttercream is so rich and fudgy that when you take your first bite, you’re going to think you’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven.
This is one of those recipes that I love having in my back pocket because it’s the ultimate chocolate dessert when I’m craving something chocolatey, but it’s also something I can easily throw together if I know that a friend is having a birthday or just a bad day (if that friend’s not a chocolate fan, try my Small-batch Vanilla Cupcakes or Small-batch Angel Food Cupcakes ).
There’s nothing like a cupcake to put a smile on someone’s face.
Small-batch Chocolate Cupcakes Notes
- This recipe calls for chopped semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use high-quality chocolate chips instead of a baking bar if that’s what you have on hand.
- The coffee in these cupcakes doesn’t give them a coffee taste. It just brings out the chocolate flavor. But if you don’t have/like/drink coffee, you can replace the coffee in the recipe with the same amount of hot water.
- The same goes for the espresso powder in the frosting. Just omit it if you don’t have it.
- I used a large star tip to frost swirls on these cupcakes. If you plan on just spreading frosting over the top with a knife, cut the frosting recipe in half!
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Fine mesh strainer for sifting
- ▢ Handheld electric mixer
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 21g ) chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 11g ) cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2 tablespoons milk any percentage
- ▢ 2 tablespoons hot coffee or water
Chocolate Buttercream
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) unsalted butter room temperature
- ▢ 1 cup ( 120g ) powdered sugar sifted
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 20g ) cocoa powder sifted*
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons milk plus more as needed
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ Pinch of espresso powder optional
- ▢ Pinch of salt
- ▢ Sprinkles optional
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your cupcake pan with 4 liners.
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, chopped chocolate, and vegetable oil. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir, repeat until mixture is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in slightly cooled chocolate mixture until uniform in color.
- Whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Add milk and coffee and whisk until smooth. Batter will look thin.
- For easiest pouring, transfer mixture to a liquid measuring cup and divide between prepared cupcake cups, filling about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 16 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan until cool enough to handle. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting, 15 to 20 minutes.
Chocolate Buttercream
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, optional espresso powder, and pinch of salt. Use a handheld electric mixer to mix until smooth. Add more milk by the half teaspoon until frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag and swirl on the cupcakes or spread frosting with a knife. Add sprinkles if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
