Basil Chumichurri Sauce

Seeking the perfect basil garlic sauce? This basil chimichurri recipe yields a robust, bold, summery sauce perfect for drizzling on so many foods.

The great thing about having friends who love food as much as I do is that I can email or message them for advice and they can instantly inspire me (and sometimes save the day). I was chatting with Maris about needing something more for a dish I was working on (more on that on Monday) when she suggested that I make chimichurri to go with it.

Ding, ding, ding!

Since I had a lovely bunch of fresh basil waiting to be used, it was only natural that I adapt the sauce to focus on this summery herb. Basil. Garlic. Olive oil. Red wine vinegar. Seasonings. It’s a simple combination that nets huge flavor results. You won’t ever mistake this basil sauce for basil pesto — it’s a whole different fresh and tangy take on the herb favorite.

Making chimichurri sauce is so incredibly easy. You just stuff everything into a mini food processor, whirl it around and it’s done and ready to use. You could also use a blender. I don’t recommend making this one by hand.

This basil chimichurri is great with steak, chicken or even on rice with grilled onions, which is how I ate it. And it was good. So good. This basil garlic sauce would also be fantastic drizzled on fresh mozzarella and tomatoes as a different take on Caprese salad.

What have you been making with basil lately?

Note: This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes’ recipe for traditional chimichurri.