We’ve been working on clearing out our freezer for a while and, aside from a few trips for produce and other staples like milk, we haven’t been grocery shopping in weeks. The good news is we’re saving money and I’m seeing parts of my freezer I haven’t seen in months. The bad news is that we’re running low on options and dinner tonight was a challenge.
Luckily, we have plenty of pasta and my basil plant is thriving so I turned to this lightened up pesto in The Best Light Recipe. The authors set out to reduce the calories and fat in traditional pesto, mainly by drastically reducing the amount of olive oil and eliminating the nuts. Ricotta cheese is instead added to give the pesto a creamy texture. The end result is a surprisingly flavorful sauce with about a third of the calories of a traditional pesto and less than 1/4 of the fat. My only complaint about the pesto is that I found it fairly salty, so I’d adjust my seasonings accordingly next time.
This recipe produces about 1 cup of pesto, which is enough for one pound of pasta. You will want to reserve some of the pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce a bit before serving.
Creamy Basil Pesto
from The Best Light Recipe by Editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine
4 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups fresh basil, stems and buds discarded
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper
Toast the garlic in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Transfer garlic to a plate to cool and then peel the cloves and chop coarsely.
Place the basil in a heavy-duty gallon-sized resealable bag. Pound the bag with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin until all the leaves are lightly bruised. (Bruising the leaves apparently helps to release their oils and intensify their flavor.)
Process the garlic, basil, Parmesan, ricotta, shallot, oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
The pesto can be covered with plastic wrap pressed flush against its surface and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Yields 1 cup
oh I love pasta with pesto. this looks so good and I like the idea of using ricotta 🙂
I did the same “Operation Fridge/Freezer Cleanout” too – I haven’t seen this much space since they were brand new!
I am so intrigued by the recipe – especially since it doesn’t call for nuts – Sabrina loves pesto but can’t eat it for that very reason.
I’m going to copy this right now. Thanks!
I love pesto and this looks really delicious!
That looks really good, Tracey! I’m jealous of your basil plant. Every time I try to grown herbs, I have problems. Okay, it’s not just herbs–I definitely don’t have a green thumb. =)
I LOVE pesto, and this looks like a great alternative to the usual oily pesto. I like the sound of your freezer clean out project. I should do that with my freezer AND pantry!
what a fabulous sounding healthier alternative. I am going to try this soon. Thanks!
I’m definitely going to have to try this! I love pesto and it looks really good…
i just made this. i was a little turned off by the super “grassy” smell that much basil puts off but omg it is SO GOOD. the only thing i did differently was toss a little more olive oil in, as mine seemed a little too dry and i couldnt get everything to blend up completely
I have all of these ingredients at home right now…I think I hear dinner calling!! This looks great!
Pesto is one of my favorite things to cook with but I’ve never made a creamy version. I will have to try this one soon.
This looks great! My favorite thing at Noodles and Company is the pesto cavatappi, but I haven’t been able to make a good creamy-ish pesto. I think this will be the solution- and it’ll be way healthier that what I usually do, which is mix my pesto with a splash of alfredo sauce!
This looks absolutely delicious!
Thereis nothing light about this dish, it’s actually heavier than a traditional pesto…
Made this tonight! I used a cup less basil and added a couple extra garlic cloves in the mix. Big mistake, it overpowered the basil and now all I can taste is garlic! Ah well, learn as you go, yes? This recipe was a fantastic complement to grilled lemon chicken breast.
Oh I love pesto and conveniently have a basil plant in need of some plucking haha. Can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
This looks great! I just stumbled upon your site, so I obviously have not made it yet, but plan to soon! I’m with the other posters, I love love pesto – I know I will love this!
Pesto and pasta….it doesn’t get much better than this, does it? I made it the very night I found the recipe because I was looking for something different as I was getting bored with my current recipes. Happy I found you.
I just wanted to let you know I found this recipe on pinterest in January and I have made it at least half a dozen times since then. It has become our family’s favorite meal! Thank you!
I made this and pasta to go with this chicken recipe as a main course: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3301/3490423409_7877f6e7fe_b.jpg
It scored me major brownie points with my girlfriend, and was delicious! Thanks for putting it online.
This is awesome and easy! I have to say my kids liked this one and I think I have the pickiest kids on the planet!! However, this suited them just fine! They even asked me last week when I would make it again!
this is great for school potlucks – no nuts allowed!
Do you leave the shallot raw? I just tried this recipe, and after wondering if I should caramelize the shallot, I decided to go with the recipe and leave it raw but all I could taste was a raw onion taste, I eventually had to ditch it and try something else 🙁
Genuinely want to know if you are supposed to leave the shallot raw
@Jess – Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, we were on vacation. Yes, you are supposed to leave the shallot raw according to the original recipe. That said, if you found it too strong, you could definitely saute it in a little oil to mellow it out.