2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed and drained well and patted dry
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil plus a tablespoon or more if it seems dry
1 or more garlic cloves
1/4 nuts (pine, almond, or walnut)
2 T. dry roasted sunflower seeds

Adapted from Sunset’s Italian Cook Book (1975)

Place almonds (or other nuts) and sunflower seeds in blender and whiz until finely chopped; add cheese, basil, garlic, and oil, and whiz until blended. Keeping turning off the motor and scraping the sides of the blender to ensure all ingredients are completely blended into a somewhat coarse paste. You can use the pesto immediately or chill for later. The pesto darkens when exposed to air, so stir before serving.

This yields about 1-1/3 cups and lasts for a couple of weeks.

I usually don’t plug products, but I do like the Ninja blender.  As you can see, it has two sizes of bowls and you place the motor on top, which makes for easy storage and easy cleaning.