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Store-bought pesto is useful for much more than pasta: spread it on sandwiches, add it to pizza, use it to season vegetables, chicken, or fish, or stir a little into soup or a dip. You can also loosen it with olive oil and red wine vinegar for a quick dressing. Since jarred pestos vary in flavor and texture, start with a small amount, taste, and adjust.
Use pesto as a quick pasta sauce
Toss cooked pasta with prepared pesto for a simple sauce. Barilla features pesto in pasta dishes as well as other meals in its official pesto-use guide. Start with an amount that suits the pasta and your taste, then add more if you want a stronger flavor.
Spread it on sandwiches and wraps
Use pesto directly on bread or as a condiment in a wrap. Classico describes its traditional basil pesto as a sauce and spread and identifies sandwiches as one way to use it. For an easy combination, try it with tomato and cheese or with grilled or raw vegetables; these are serving ideas, not a fixed recipe.
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Add pesto to pizza, proteins, and vegetables
Barilla suggests pesto for pizza and as a way to season fish, chicken, and vegetables. Spread or spoon it on as part of a recipe, adjusting the amount to suit the other ingredients. Follow the recipe and the pesto label for any preparation or heating directions rather than assuming every jar is intended to be used the same way.
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Stir it into soup or a dip, or make a dressing
A little pesto can add flavor to soup or a dip. Jamie Oliver’s leftover-pesto suggestions also include making a quick dressing: shake pesto with olive oil and red wine vinegar, then taste and adjust the balance.
Follow the storage directions on your jar
Post-opening instructions vary by product, so use the label on the pesto you have. For example, Barilla’s Creamy Genovese Basil Pesto product page says the pesto needs no heating, unused portions should be refrigerated, and it is best used within five days of opening. That is guidance for this specific product, not a universal storage rule for all jarred pesto.
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Food-safety guidance for homemade pesto is not a substitute for commercial-product directions. North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pesto Possibilities guide discusses homemade pesto, including garlic-and-oil safety considerations; follow your own jar’s instructions for store-bought pesto.
Choose a pesto for the way you plan to use it
When deciding how to use a jar, consider its flavor and texture and whether you want to spread it, toss it with pasta, or stir it into another dish. Check the label for post-opening storage directions before you put the jar away.
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