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11 Creative Ways to Use Fresh Basil
When you have a lot of basil growing in your garden during the summer, it can feel overwhelming trying to figure out how to use it all up. You don’t want it to go to waste, but you don’t know what to do with all of it! Here are 11 creative ways to use fresh basil growing in your garden – recipes included!
Add it to yogurt.
While this combo may sound strange at first, this recipe also calls for pears which perfectly balances the flavor of this hearty herb. Try the Pear Basil Yogurt recipe yourself to see how delicious it actually is!
Shake it up with a basil margarita!
Muddling the basil helps release the essence of the basil and makes for a delicious paleo-friendly margarita. Get the recipe here!
Infuse your water.
Add fresh basil to water along with cucumber, strawberry & lime, or orange slices for a refreshing afternoon beverage!
Add it to cheese pizza.
Instantly upgrade your homemade pizza when you top it with fresh basil.
Make a BurgerFit Caprese Skewer.
Fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese chunks, and BurgerFit burgers!. Sprinkle with salt pepper and drizzle with balsamic. Makes for an amazing appetizer or snack! Get the recipe here.
Butter it up!
Blend in fresh basil with butter, cream cheese, or goat cheese for a delicious spread for crostini, vegetables, or on a sandwich.
Add it to a watermelon dish.
Fresh watermelon cubes, with crumbled feta cheese and sliced basil, is a refreshing and delectable summer treat! Drizzle some honey on top to make it even sweeter. Get the recipe for our watermelon basil salad here!
Dress up your salad dressing.
Chop it up very fine and add it to your salad dressings!
Roast some basil and veggies to make soup.
Make a batch or two of this roasted tomato soup and freeze it for when the weather gets cold. This is one of my favorite creative ways to use fresh basil!
Put a twist on a pasta dish.
This gluten-free and dairy-free pasta dish is perfect for summer with fresh ingredients – including fresh basil!
Make pesto.
This a no brainer, but there are so many uses for it! One of our favorites is the Zucchini Pesto BurgerFit burger. Make a double batch of burgers to use later on salads or to have a quick meal on the go!
Bonus recipe!
If you have extra Zucchini Pesto burgers, use them in this Cucumber Tomato BurgerFit recipe!
Looking for other healthy BurgerFit Recipes?
Check out our top dietary lifestyle blogs!
Meet our Founder
Alane Boyd
Alane has kept her 40 lb weight loss off since 2013, and created BurgerFit and Cooking with My Friends as a way to get her family eating better. Her health journey started in 2012 after being diagnosed with high blood pressure and obesity. Frustrated and determined, Alane decided to make small, sustainable changes in her diet so that it would be maintainable for a lifetime. Now Alane maintains a healthy weight range and has incorporated quick and easy recipes that keep her picky family members eating better!
I am here for the food presentation, it’s superb!! Great job Alane!
Thank you Nicole – so much effort and creativity was put to make this presentation possible!