Getting playful with pesto: five recipes improvise on a summer standard

Pesto is a quintessential summer meal maker—garden fresh, versatile and requiring little or no cooking. Here are five pesto recipes, from the traditional basil to creative takes using sage, cilantro and even kale.

A sudden abundance of basil in our garden has us enjoying quick weeknight—and lazy weekend—dinners of simply prepared pesto with pasta. But it doesn’t always have to team up with pasta. It can be tossed with cooked potatoes and green beans, spooned over grilled meats and fishes—even smeared on crusty bread as a snack or appetizer. And it doesn’t always require basil, as some of these recipes demonstrate.

Fettuccine with Pecan Pesto

This is our take on the classic—fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil and, in place of the usual pine nuts, sweeter-tasting pecans. You’ll find the recipe for the dish, pictured above, right here.

Cilantro-Parsley Pesto

Here, as the name implies, a pair of herbs stand in for basil, creating an unexpected take on pesto. Crumbled feta and quickly sautéed onions and tomatoes turn it into a colorful, lively meal. Here’s the recipe.

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto

Here, pesto goes from pasta sauce to a summery side—potato and green bean salad. Arugula gives the pesto in this recipe a nice, peppery flavor.

Sage Pecan Pesto

Pesto can be a deliciously simple sauce for chicken, chops, roasted vegetables and more. Here, sage and parsley bring a fresh-from-the-garden, summery flavor to both sautéed chicken breast cutlets and pasta.

Kale Lemon Pesto with Fettuccine

Is there anything kale can’t do? Here, the winter super-vegetable gets all summery with the help of lemon juice and pistachio nuts. Here’s the recipe.