Lightened Up Pesto Recipe

Pesto is great in a variety of ways - as a garnish or a topping, as a stir in to soups and sauces. But my favorite ways is to mix it with some whole grain pasta. I add about 1/4 cup of reserved water used from cooking the pasta. This loosens up the sauce a bit. Yum!

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Keyword lightened up pesto

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 87 kcal

Ingredients

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cups and 1/2 to 2 of fresh basil (leaves only washed)
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth you may not use the entire amount
1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon of salt (I would use half then add the rest to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Wash, pat dry and trim the fresh basil to get rid of any stems
Peel and rough chop the garlic cloves
Add all ingredients to the food processor, except for the chicken stock
Pulse the food processor a few times to puree
Remove the lid (while off, not processing!) and scrape the sides of the food processor. Put the lid back on.
Stream in chicken stock slowly through the spout while processing, until desired consistency (I used about 1/3 cup)
Serve immediately for best results.

Nutrition Facts

Lightened Up Pesto Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 87 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 3mg1%

Sodium 64mg3%

Potassium 47mg1%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 195IU4%

Vitamin C 0.7mg1%

Calcium 53mg5%

Iron 0.5mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.