It seems that with every post about herbs that I write, I get comments and emails asking what in the world we make with (insert herb here).
So, I thought I’d put together a post with recipes using fresh herbs. And, I hope you’ll share your recipes using fresh herbs. *Edited to add: I’ve updated this post with new recipes and ideas from commenters. Thanks for all the great ideas.
In all honesty, I had never used fresh herbs before we planted our garden. I hope to show that using fresh herbs doesn’t have to be difficult. Actually, I find cooking with fresh herbs to be simpler. I’m no fancy cook and we don’t make very difficult recipes.
These are the herbs we use, in the order of popularity.
Cilantro
“What do you DO with all that cilantro?” This is, by far, what I hear the most from you. We use more cilantro than we can grow (honestly). Ryan and I love cilantro and are thinking of naming our future firstborn Cilantro as a tribute to this well-loved herb. (Our mothers are having heart attacks right at this very moment.)
Here are a few things we have made with cilantro (links to recipes):
Mexican lasagna
Cilantro-lime chicken
Fresh guacamole
Chicken tortilla soup
Mexican lasagna *also a great way to use up zucchini
Pico de Gallo via Cooks
*Comment addition: Jen recommends a peruvian cilantro ensalada – marinate onions and cilantro (10+ minutes) in lime juice – for a great twist on coleslaw.
Basil
Here’s the thing: If nothing else, you can always throw basil on a homemade (or even frozen) pizza. You can also put basil on just about any pasta dish.
Freezer manicotti
Grilled chicken bruschetta
Capellini Caprese *I even made this with dried herbs the first time…. fresh is better.
Grilled steak with roasted garlic and herbs
Grilled chicken penne al fresco
Pizza on the grill via Imperfect
And, here are a few basil recipes my to-make list:
Pesto via Popcorn Ideas *I’ve never made pesto before… this is on my list for the summer.
Meatball Sandwich via Allison and Jared *My mouth is watering just looking at this recipe.
*Comment addition: For a simple appetizer or snack, Jordan recommends slicing up tomatoes and adding a slice of fresh mozzarella and basil leaf.
- Mint tea
- Mint jelly
*Comment addition: Michael recommends using mint leaves as a garnish for yogurt, fruit parfait or smoothie.
*Comment addition: Katie also recommends a ratio of 3:1 (strawberry:mint) for jam. Just mix before canning.
Parsley
If nothing else, just pluck some parsley for your plate. Everyone will think you’re fancy. (I may or may not be speaking from experience.)
If you wanna try a recipe, here are a few options:
Three-bean salad
Lemon Chicken via My Two Red Shoes
Grilled chicken pasta in a tomato cream sauce via Kevin and Amanda
Rosemary
Rosemary is great on potatoes – I’ve made them grilled, baked or mashed.
*Comment addition: Leigh also recommends rosemary on chicken and steamed clams.
*Comment addition: Jen recommends rosemary on homemade foccacia bread.
*Comment addition: Claire recommends herb butter with rosemary for grilled corn on the cob.
*Comment addition: Cara also recommends rosemary with alfredo chicken pizza.
*Comment addition: Katie recommends rosemary with pork – pan sear pork chops and then bake in a mixture of breadcrumbs and finely chopped rosemary.
Chives
Chicken Bundles via Shannanigans
Chives are also great on potatoes.
*Comment addition: Michael recommends adding chives to goat cheese omelets.
*Commend addition: Michael also recommends chives and parsley in homefries.
And, this leads to my final point. Even if you don’t use tons of the herbs you plant, they smell lovely and look great. You can consider planting them as decorative plants. Just remember to snip them regularly if you aren’t using them enough. You don’t want them to go to seed. I give you permission to compost any clippings, no guilt.
Is this helpful? What do you make with fresh herbs?
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Jennifer says
this really helpful! my herbs are growing like crazy and I can hardly keep up. I agree with Michael – parsley on hand-cut fries straight from the oven: YUMMMM.
Allison aka Half of VAMH says
Oh man — I wish you were my neighbor! I love fresh herbs!
Have you tried this one with cilantro?
http://halfofvamh.blogspot.com/2009/10/black-bean-and-corn-salad.html
grey umbrella says
i use fresh herbs all the time and this is a great list! i haven’t read through all the comments, but anything italian and pasta you can chop up parsley and add (curly, flat, whatever). great list kim, thanks!
Robin says
LOVE THIS POST! I enjoy growing herb but very rarely do I actually use them for cooking – sad I know. Thanks for all the great ideas. Pretty sure my family thanks you too!
Jessica says
I am a cilantro lover myself but it didn’t do well when I tried to grow it 🙁
Maybe I’ll see what it does this year.
Amanda @ Little House on the Corner says
I don’t know if I was one of the ones who asked what you do with all those herbs, but I’m sure it crossed my mind at some point.
I actually never buy fresh herbs (tsk tsk), but I’m thinking I should start after seeing all those yummy recipes! I’m sure the dried herbs just don’t have the same effect.
Emily @ Longley's in San Diego says
I love cooking with fresh herbs! The flavors are wonderful 🙂
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
We made fresh pesto with our basil the other day… it was SO good and made the Costco tortellini we ate it with feel really fancy :).
Kasey says
Thanks for this post! I currently have Oregano [my fav. herb] and Rosemary. So… I have a question… when is it good to trim the herbs? Do you just trim it off in bunches or do you pull it off the actual stems?
miss corner cape says
that’s so helpful, thank you. seriously, i never know what to do with herbs.
Cara says
What a great list of herb recipes! I also love cilantro with all my heart, but I just can’t seem to grow it successfully. Maybe next year. I love rosemary just as much, and use it on LOTS of stuff…roasted potatoes with garlic, alfredo chicken pizza, in focaccia bread, appetizers with goat cheese and honey. I can’t get enough of rosemary!
Thanks especially for the link about what to do with mint. I just started mint this year…I’ve actually got peppermint, which is I think is a little different from typical “mint”). LOVE the way it smells, but not sure what to do with it besides teas and bath soaks.
*claire* says
great ideas! we can never use as many as we grow!
i have a rosemary love – make an herb butter chock full of rosemary – it’s great on grilled corn especially!
katie says
i recommend using mint in strawberry jam. make strawberry jam and mint jelly in a 3:1 ratio, and combine before canning. delicious. =)
rosemary is also excellent with pork. try pan-searing and then baking porkchops rolled in a mixture of breadcrumbs and finely-chopped rosemary.
and…cilantro is just wonderful. in addition to all the latino-influenced food, just putting it chopped up into a salad is delicious. or, make a peruvian slaw-like “ensalada” with onions and cilantro marinated (10+ minutes) in lime juice (yum!) and use whenever you’d have coleslaw for a change in the flavor feel.
i love food. especially just-picked-it-myself-fresh food. i’m going to have to go eat lunch now. =)
Amanda @ Serenity Now says
What a great list!!! I think that if Gwyneth can go with “Apple,” you can go with “Cilantro.” 😉
Jessica says
I LOVE cilantro too. Yum. I use TONS in salsas, but also sprinkle it on pretty much any Mexican dish – enchiladas, tacos, fajitas. And a lot of asian dishes too.
PW’s recipe for ranch dressing uses fresh chives, parsley, and dill. And it is so delicious. Definitely a good way to use up some extra herbs.
The Brick Cottage says
We feel the same way about cilantro! We’ve already eaten our supply and I’m waiting patiently for more to grow. We also grow basil (can’t get enough of its smell) and mint and an interesting fact about basil and mint that I learned this summer is it will root in water! So, when you clip either of them, put the stem in water for a couple of weeks and when you have a good amount of roots, stick it in potting soil and you’ve got another plant.
Kristi says
All of these sound great! I can’t wait to try some with the herbs in our garden.
I have a question, too. Have you ever tried freezing your herbs?
Michael - Innkeeper says
wow! lots of ideas. thanks!
I actually use a lot of herbs for garnish. mint makes a great ‘decoration’ for a fruit cup, yogurt parfait, smootie. parsley and chives are great in homefries … or as a garnish on top. chives are also great in an omelete with goat cheese. yum!
i wish every day could be summer. :/
Mrs. Adventure says
I SWEAR we were parted at birth… I freaking LOVE cilantro I can just eat it fresh yummy! Thanks for the great post with recipe links, I will be hitting this post up later for some “printing” action!
jen @ homeinthecountry says
Thanks for the tips – I’ve found myself growing a whole bunch of herbs that I don’t normally use… maybe this will get me to step outside the box? Rosemary is also really great on homemade foccacia bread… yum!
Leigh says
Thanks for the shout out! Can’t wait to hear about your pesto experience. I love rosemary, almost as much as basil. I use it with potatoes, chicken and last night I saw on food network putting it in the pot when steaming clams.
Shannon says
So Kim, say I want to start an herb garden as adorable as yours…what time of year would I need to do this? Because at this point in time, I call up my bff’s husband and place orders from his garden…kinda annoying.
and did you make the chicken bundles???? they’re amazing! Oh and my husband is a huge rosemary fan so I end up with rosemary marinades for chicken allll the time.
Danielle and Clint says
I love being able to pick off a minty or basil leaf and smelling them! Herbs are great! We use all of ours in our cooking and can never get enough of them! Great tips!
Jordan says
The only fresh herbs we commonly get are cilantro and basil, but mmm are they delicious!
We mostly use cilantro in homemade salsa; there can’t be enough of it! We also often make PW’s Mexican rice that has cilantro in it.
As for basil we put in sandwiches, make it into pesto and put on pizza or sandwiches or anything, or for a simple appetizer (that we eat ALL the time), slice up tomatoes, put on a piece of fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf; HEAVEN!