Creamy Basil Dressing Recipe (Easy And Healthy)

Add a burst of flavor to your salads with this simple and nutritious creamy basil dressing recipe. Made with fresh ingredients, it’s the perfect addition to your healthy meal options.

Watch How to Make our Creamy Basil Herb Dressing Recipe

This is one of those recipes that has evolved over time and has become one of my favorites. I drew some inspiration from our creamy avocado cilantro dressing, but in this salad dressing recipe, I mix up the herbs and amounts sometimes depending on what I have on hand or what is in season. I’ve even served it over roasted corn for a corn salad once. So good! It’s just one of my go-to, most favorite things ever.

We used this fresh basil salad dressing on our BLT pasta salad once and we have never used any other dressing on it since. It is just so bright and fresh and the perfect creaminess and zesty flavor for that pasta salad recipe. Scroll down to the section below for more ideas of how to use this dressing recipe.

Ingredients for Creamy Basil Dressing

This creamy basil salad dressing is a perfect blend of fresh, vibrant herbs and smooth, rich flavors. Made with simple, yet delicious ingredients, it brings a burst of aromatic basil combined with the creaminess of Greek yogurt and mayo. Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this delightful dressing:

• Plain Greek Yogurt: Lightens up the dressing a little and adds great protein.
  • Possible substitute: sour cream
• Mayonnaise: Adds more creaminess and gives a little acidity to the dressing.
• Buttermilk: Helps thin out the dressing to a good consistency while keeping the dressing tangy and fresh.
• Fresh Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Dill and Chives — Everything must be fresh, no other option here.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds delicious umami undertones to the dressing and some acidity.
• Seasonings: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

15 Minute Pesto Pasta [+ Video]

Pesto pasta is a fresh, flavor-packed dish made with al dente penne, homemade basil pesto, and a touch of garlic and parmesan. It’s quick to whip up, full of bright, herby goodness, and perfect for tossing together on a busy night. All you need is a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes – yes, really!

This pesto pasta is fresh, flavorful, and ridiculously easy to throw together. The homemade basil pesto is rich with garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts, and it clings perfectly to every bite of penne. We’ve been making it since our basil started taking over the garden, and it’s still a favorite. Tossed, stirred, and devoured in minutes – this dish never lets us down.

Fresh basil has a way of sneaking into just about everything we make during the warmer months. Whether it’s tucked into a cheesy pasta or layered into something heartier, the flavor is always a hit around our table. When the mood calls for something extra cozy, we’ll go for our 20-Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta – it’s like this dish’s rich, melty cousin. Or if we’re feeling that casual backyard dinner vibe, a slice of Pesto Pepperoni and Sausage Grilled Pizza totally hits the spot. And if you haven’t tried our Creamy Chicken Pesto Lasagna, you’re seriously missing out!

Ingredients for Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta is proof that simple really can be spectacular. Just grab a few fresh staples, give them a whirl in the food processor, and boom – pasta night perfection.

• Penne Pasta: The perfect pasta shape to catch all that gorgeous pesto sauce in every nook and cranny. Spaghetti or rotini work well too!
• Pine Nuts: Lightly toasted for that buttery, nutty flavor that makes pesto sing. If you don’t have these in the pantry, walnuts or almonds are a good backup.
• Garlic: Adds a bold, savory depth to the pesto. We’re using fresh cloves for that extra zing!
• Sweet Basil: The star of the show. Use fresh basil leaves, packed tightly for the best flavor. No dried stuff here!
• Olive Oil: Helps everything blend smoothly and adds that classic richness. Stick with extra virgin for the best taste.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is best – trust us. Adds saltiness and a creamy texture to the pesto.
• Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper: Just a pinch or two to bring everything into balance.

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Cheesy Basil Roasted Vegetables [+Video]

This easy and delicious recipe combines the savory flavors of cheese and basil with roasted vegetables for a satisfying and nutritious meal. Perfect for those end of summer veggies!

One of the hardest parts about cooking dinner during the summer is always turning on the oven. No one wants to do it. Am I right? I totally understand and I hear you, I do, but now I’m going to ask you to do just that because this cheesy basil vegetables side dish is so worth it. Roasted vegetables always are.

We had a few veggies that needed to be used up, but more importantly our basil was in it’s last few days of life and so I thought I would try my hand at a quick and easy veggie dish that you all can serve. We looooooved it.

How to Make Roasted Summer Vegetables Video

This is so easy and you can definitely use fresh or dried basil which means that this recipe is one you can make all year round. I know your guests will love it once Thanksgiving hits too. I know, let’s not even talk about that yet, but it’s true. It will be here before we know it!

Ingredients for Roasted Summer Veggies

Roasted vegetables are my favorite kind of vegetables! And keeping them simple is the best way to go. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make this tasty vegetables side dish. Here is what you need:

• Vegetables: Carrots, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash
• Cheese: Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese
• Flavor: Basil and Garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

The measurements and details for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to Make Cheesy Basil Roasted Vegetables

Your first step will be to slice up your veggies, then toss them with the rest of the ingredients saving a little of the basil and cheeses for later. Then roast it all up in the oven. The last few minutes top with the additional cheese and then sprinkle the last of the basil on before serving. If it’s winter and you don’t have fresh basil you can garnish with a little parsley. Booyah!

Are Vegetables Hard to Digest?

Some vegetables such as

Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta +Video

A refreshing twist on traditional pasta dishes, this lemon basil pasta with chicken is the perfect summer meal. With a burst of citrus and a hint of fresh herbs, this dish is packed with protein and flavor. It’s sure to become a family favorite.

*I am in a partnership with Tyson Foods and while I was compensated for this post all opinions remain my own. This is a sponsored post with Tyson® Foods

Watch How to Make Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta

This easy chicken pasta dish has become one of our favorite post-workout meals too. When we get home from the gym, we always want some good protein, a filling meal, but light enough that we don’t feel gross. Cue the Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta. We have been enjoying Tyson® Foods Grilled & Ready® Products to find the perfect meals for just these occasions.

Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken are low in fat and high in nutrition. Thankfully we still had a ton of the Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken Breast Strips and a little basil, spinach, and lemon in the fridge. These are obviously all meant for each other, so the pasta dish came together quickly, especially because the chicken comes fully cooked.

Everything was ready to eat and we were able to sit back and enjoy dinner as a family rather quickly. Dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes! The kids loved the pasta, but especially the chicken. It was their favorite part. But that’s what I love about having a bag or two of the chicken in the freezer. I’m never stuck making unhealthy decisions when planning ahead didn’t happen.

And my favorite part? We loved this pasta served warm but it was equally delicious and flavorful cold as a pasta salad the next day for lunch. And, no cooking time needed so it’s perfect for school or work.

Ingredients for Lemon Basil Chicken Pasta

The sauce for this pasta recipe is so bright and fresh! The basil and spinach add bright green color and so much flavor. Then you have the lemon! Good golly, I love lemon! Then we add a few more ingredie

Classic Basil Pesto Sauce

This post covers how to make pesto sauce, how to store it, and more! If you’ve never made homemade pesto before, you’ve been missing out!

This a perfect summer recipe to use up all that basil in the garden! I swear basil multiplies overnight. I can’t keep ahead of it, but homemade pesto is one of my favorite ways to use it up!

Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

I don’t know why, but I had never had pesto until college. At least I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. And I honestly don’t even remember who made it when I did finally have it. All I remember was that it was a basic pesto pasta and I loved it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I ate waaaaaay more than I should have. It was slightly nutty, cheesy, and super fresh. Could there be a better combo? We use pesto all the time now and we even make it a few different ways depending on how much of everything we have like our 15-Minute Pesto Pasta, pesto butter grilled cheese, creamy pesto chicken pizza,  or the bacon pesto grilled cheese sandwich contest I won with Tillamook. However, in the end this is our ultimate, absolute favorite classic pesto recipe.

A classic pesto recipe is easy enough to make, but storing is a bit tricky. I have two ways that I store it and a third that I’ve heard great things about but never tried it. But we can talk about storing it after we discuss the actual classic pesto recipe.

Basil Pesto Recipe Ingredients

This is such an easy pesto recipe! It requires minimal ingredients to whip up. Here’s what all goes into this homemade pesto sauce:

• Fresh Basil
• Garlic Cloves
• Pine Nuts
  • NOTE: The best substitutes for pine nuts are walnuts, almonds or cashews.
• Olive Oil
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • NOTE: The best substitute is pecorino romano cheese.
• Salt

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pesto Sauce

To start this homemade pesto recipe, I just heat up a skillet over medium heat, add both the garlic cloves and the pine nuts and let it cook until golden, shaking the pan occasionally. Then, I remove the nuts and allow the garlic to finish turning golden as well.

An added bonus is that the garlic slides right out of its skin when it’s toasted this way. I love that. So, yes you read right, toast the garlic in its thin skin and then remove after it’s golden.

Place everything except the cheese and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Stir in the cheese and add salt to taste. Yes, making this classic pesto recipe is that easy. If you want to go totally authentic, you can use a mortar and pestle to blend the pesto together.