- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes about 1 cup
- Serving size: ¼ cup
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Traditional pesto is made with genovese basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. The flavor is rich, and a little goes a long way. This healthy version has all the flavor of the traditional version without the oil or cheese, and just a touch of fat in the nuts. For a really low-fat version, make the sauce without the nuts and use low-fat silken tofu. And for an unusual twist, try it with arugula instead of the basil.
By Del Sroufe,
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups basil or arugula
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Sea salt to taste
- ½ package extra-firm silken tofu (about 6 ounces), drained
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, tofu, and nutritional yeast (if using) in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (¼ cup): 153 calories, 8.6 g carbohydrates, 15.4 g protein, 7.3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 209 mg sodium, 3.1 g fiber, 0.4 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (11)
(5 from 8 votes)A little bland… I added a vegetable stock cube, splash of EV olive oil, lemon rind and a tablespoon of grated Parmesan
Loved this recipe. Tastes just like pesto. Loved that it doesn't have cheese or oil. This is a sure keeper for me
It is so delicious I absolutely love it and can’t believe how wonderful it is ‼️ Whoever made this recipe up I thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️
Really great. Tweak to your taste of course. I sliced whole tomatoes in small pieces to brighten it up and mixed with brown rice. Plenty leftover.
This recipe is a great! I'm learning that I should pretty much double the spices on these recipes to get the flavor profile that I'm looking for. I used roasted sunflower seeds due to nut restrictions at work. I also squeezed a 1/2 lemon into the recipe to make the flavors really pop.
Delicious! Tasty! Excellent! I’m New to vegan cooking and this was surprisingly good!
Tasted off. Very disappointing. I made it with spaghetti and cannelloni beans and added broccoli and cherry tomatoes.
Had to add salt and pepper - but was very tasty ! Husband and daughter didn’t know it had tofu!!
I was trying to recreate a pesto recipe from the Luca film with my boyfriend, and found this to be the most compatible with ingredients I already had on hand at home! Initially, I was skeptical about the lack of oil, but I was pleasantly surprised at how versatile this recipe was. I subsituted toasted pine nuts for cashews, basil for spinach, and nutritional yeast for vegan mozzarella. It turned out wonderfully! In the future, I will probably be adding more than the recommended amount of garlic, and salt, and will be adding more liquids to allow for a smoother texture. Overall, it was a wonderful recipe and I will most definitely be making it again!
To date, this is my most favorite recipe from FOK. I used it over some vegan spinach fettucine & it was great. I plan to look for some vegan tortellini the next time I make the recipe. It is super easy & quick to make. Finding enough basil was a little difficult in my local store though, so I had to go with lightly dried basil instead of fresh.