Basil: How to Use Basil in Cooking
Basil: How to Use Basil in Cooking
Basil is one of the most popular culinary herbs, and it’s an essential herb for home cooks to know. Fragrant, fresh, and slightly sweet, basil can transform everything from a simple bowl of pasta to tomatoes picked straight from the garden.
If you’ve bought a bunch of fresh basil and wondered what to do with the rest of it, this guide will help.
We’ll look at what basil tastes like, what foods go with basil, how to cook with fresh basil, fresh vs. dried basil, and some of the easiest ways to use basil at home.
What Is Basil?
Basil is an aromatic culinary herb used in cuisines throughout the world.
There are different varieties of basil, but sweet basil is the type many American home cooks encounter most frequently in Italian-inspired dishes.
Its tender green leaves have an intensely fragrant aroma.
What Does Basil Taste Like?
Fresh sweet basil is fragrant, slightly sweet, peppery, and mildly herbaceous.
Its distinctive flavor is strong enough to be recognizable but delicate enough to work with relatively mild ingredients.
What Foods Go With Basil?
Basil pairs particularly well with:
- Tomatoes
- Mozzarella
- Parmesan
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Pasta
- Pizza
- Chicken
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Strawberries
- Lemon
- Peaches
The combination of tomato + basil + garlic + olive oil is one of the easiest flavor combinations for a beginner cook to remember.
How to Use Fresh Basil
Fresh basil can be torn or sliced and added to pasta, pizza, soups, salads, sandwiches, sauces, vegetables, and chicken dishes.
You can also blend a large amount of fresh basil into pesto.
For a simple summer side dish, combine tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
When Should You Add Fresh Basil?
Basil is relatively delicate.
For the freshest basil flavor, add it toward the end of cooking or sprinkle it over the finished dish.
Long cooking can diminish the bright flavor of fresh basil.
Fresh Basil vs. Dried Basil
Both have a place in the kitchen, but they don’t taste identical.
Fresh basil has a brighter, more aromatic character. Dried basil is convenient for sauces, soups, and dishes that cook longer.
If substituting dried basil for fresh, start with roughly one-third of the amount and adjust according to taste.
Easy Ways to Use Leftover Basil
Have extra basil?
Turn it into pesto, add it to pasta sauce, put it on homemade pizza, make Caprese salad, add it to sandwiches, scatter it over roasted vegetables, or pair it with fresh summer fruit.
Is Basil Good With Fruit?
Yes!
Basil can be wonderful with strawberries, peaches, watermelon, and other summer fruits.
Strawberry and basil is an especially good combination for lemonades, desserts, fruit salads, and summer drinks.
Common Culinary Herbs: Learn the Basics
Basil is only one of the herbs worth knowing.
Visit my Common Culinary Herbs guide to learn how basil compares with rosemary, mint, thyme, oregano, parsley, and other useful kitchen herbs.
