This Basil Chimichurri recipe is perfect for topping flank steak! You can use it as a sauce or a marinade for all of your summer grilling needs!
I received a text from my sister-in-law a few weeks back.
“What’s a recipe that uses a lot of basil?”
I typed out “p-e-s”
*DING* “Not pesto.”
Damn. Okay. Let me think.
“That Sausage Mustard Pasta uses a pretty good amount of it. Are you talking general uses or like, a lot of it.”
“A lot.”
Oookay.
I started thinking about it- what could I make with several cups of basil that wasn’t pesto? Nothing immediately came to mind, but then chimichurri, a vibrantly-bright-green condiment that is used either as a steak sauce or as a marinade, came to mind. Typically, its made primarily with parsley, sometimes with some oregano in there too. But I had never seen it done with basil. I had no idea if it was going to work, but a couple days later, I set out to try it out.
This. Is. Awesome.
If you have a food processor or blender, this is going to take you about 30 seconds to do- put it all in there and turn it on. It added so much fresh flavor to the flank steak that I served it with. We had our neighbors over to dinner the night that I tested this out, and they both simply raved about it. It will be a standard in this house for sure. It’s light, fresh and tangy, and I think it would be incredible in a steak taco.
Tools needed to make this basil steak sauce:
- All you really need is either a [easyazon_link identifier=”B00NGV4506″ locale=”US” tag=”gogogogo03-20″]blender[/easyazon_link] or [easyazon_link identifier=”B008J8MJIQ” locale=”US” tag=”gogogogo03-20″]food processor[/easyazon_link] to make this Basil Chimichurri recipe!
If you liked this Basil Chimichurri, check out these other recipes that use basil:
- Lemon Basil Gremolata with Grilled Beef Tenderloin
- Summer Couscous Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing
- Basil Mango Mojito
- Orange Basil Cream Sauce
Basil Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups basil leaves
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and run until a finely chunky mixture develops. Use as a condiment or a marinade. Makes 2/3 cup.
Lolo says
I am making this tomorrow night for dinner. It looks really simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing!!
Go Go Go Gourmet says
You’re so welcome! It makes me so happy to hear that you are trying it. Did you like it?!
Rikke says
Yummy yummy. Made it tonight, had with fillet steak on chiabatta roll with sliced red onion and baby spinach.
Heavenly. I too have to much basil in my garden and had the brainwave to make chimichurri with basil rather than parsley (I have also made a thai version before with coriander/cilantro)
Delish, thank you for the recipe and not making me think I’m the only crazy one making it with Basil. We discovered this wonder sauce in Argentina a few years ago but the best thing about food is it’s so open to experimentation.
Kristy says
This sounds delicious. Does it keep in the fridge?
Denise says
Super simple! Made to serve with low and slow grilled brisket…great combo! Thinking of using as a sandwich spread with leftovers.
kim donovan says
Can this be frozen? I have a huge basil crop and can’t use it all at once.
Jacqueline says
Absolutely!
Stacey says
OMG! This is so good, also as a dipper with bread!
Wendy Swearingen says
OMG! Thanks for posting this! My asian market sells Thai basil by the pound for 5 bucks. I’m gonna try this tonight and if it’s half as good as I think it will be I can buy some pretty jars and make wonderful christmas presents for my friends. 🙂
Drea says
Just made it with my excess basil. The plant is growing too fast! This is tangy with a bit of spice. Going to put it on some lamb! Dipping it in bread now rhanks to an above comment haha.
Rita says
I just made this chimichurri and it was sooo good, I didn’t have enough basil so I added it cilantro. It was a match made in heaven with ribeye steaks, fries and white rice. I don’t know if you forgot to add salt on the ingredient list but it needs salt. This recipe it’s a keeper for sure!
Kathie says
i just made this and have to say it is amazing! I made it to try on steak I plan to have tomorrow. After tasting it I craved more. I ended up adding some to my turkey sandwich I had for dinner. It’ has just the right amount of zing and garlic. Thank you for this recipe!
Jeannette says
OMG this recipe looks healthy, delicious and easy to fix. Thank you!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to use up basil from the garden!