Have a Bunch of Leftover Fresh Herbs? Here’s What To Do With Them Before They Go Bad

I don’t know how I got so lucky to not only marry a man who loves cooking as much as I do but to have a son who is filled with joy whenever we cook as a family and who is very quickly turning into quite the little chef.

My husband and I are homeschoolers and try to incorporate as many hands-on activities into our lessons as possible not only because our son tends to retain information better when his hands are moving, but because adding in the element of activity makes learning more exciting.

Last weekend, my son got to pick what he (for the most part) would make for breakfast and because we’d recently come off the Christmas holiday and some of our lesson plans were based on the Middle East, the birthplace of Christ, my son asked if we could make Shakshuka. (If you’d like a brief history on shakshuka and a recipe, you’ll find it here.)

Shakshuka calls for fresh parsley and cilantro and it was much cheaper for me to buy the herbs in bulk rather than in a small amount. I’ve never made pesto with any herb other than basil, but as I looked at the gorgeous bunches in my hands, I knew I wanted to try to make parsley-cilantro pesto. I was curious if it would taste good and was pleasantly surprised to discover just how beautiful the flavor turned out to be.

The next time that you find yourself with a big bunch of fresh herbs and no idea what to do with them, think back to this incredibly simple to make pesto recipe and remember that you can swap out herbs (yes, even rosemary), you don't have to just use parsley and cilantro.