Oil-Free Pesto
Oil-Free Pesto is one of the best sauces for pasta and it's so easy to make! This oil-free pesto is FULL of flavor yet it is low fat, nut-free, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and nutrient dense. Put this plant based sauce all over your pasta or whole grains, tofu, bowls, toast, and more.
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor or a blender may be used
- 1 Small spatula for scraping out the food processor
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Aquafaba, chickpea liquid from the can or leftover from boiling them if you made them from dried, if you don't have enough, use plain unsweetened non-dairy milk or water for the rest
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed preferred but bottled is fine
- 1 Tablespoon White or Yellow Miso Paste, + 2 Tablespoons Warm Water, see Notes section below for substitutions
- 1 + ½ Ounces Fresh Basil Leaves, thicker stems discarded
- 1-2 Cups Baby Spinach, packed cups, feel free to just use more basil instead or use another green like baby kale
- 1 + ¾ Cups No-Salt-Added Chickpeas, 15-ounce can, drained (but save the liquid!)
- ½ Cup Nutritional Yeast, see Notes section below for substitutions
- 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled, or use 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or jarred minced garlic, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: If you're serving your oil-free pesto with pasta, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions (I used whole grain linguine pasta). When the pasta is fully cooked to your liking, drain pasta in a colander and return it to the pot (turn off the heat to the stove, though).
- Timing: This usually takes me less than 10 minutes so I tend to add it right after I've added the dry pasta to the boiling water. If you're not sure you'll be able to manage stirring the pasta every so often and making the pesto, feel free to make the pesto when you're waiting for the water to come to a boil.
- Thin the miso paste: If using miso paste, sometimes it doesn't get evenly distributed in the food processor if I just plop it in. What I like to do is use a mini whisk (or a fork) to mix together 1 tablespoon miso paste with 2 tablespoons warm (not hot) water. Whisk until fully dissolved, then proceed with the recipe.
- Add the liquids: Add the half cup of aquafaba, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and thinned miso paste to the mixing bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade (the standard blade).
- Add the greens: Add the 1 + ½ ounces basil leaves (thicker stems removed) and 1-2 cups baby spinach to the food processor and gently smoosh it down if it seems like it's too much.
- Add remaining ingredients: Place the 1 + ¾ cups chickpeas, ½ cup nutritional yeast, and 2 garlic cloves in the food processor.
- Pulse: Pulse for about 10 seconds until things look mostly combined. Remove the lid and use a spatula to scrape down the sides and push any remaining large chunks of greens into the path of the blades. Pulse again until the mixture looks well blended. I like to leave my oil-free pesto a little chunky, but if you want a fully blended sauce, feel free to blend longer.
- Add to pasta: Carefully scrape the blade clean with a small spatula and add the contents of the food processor bowl to your pot of cooked (and drained) pasta. I like to use tongs to mix the pesto with the pasta. Mix well.
- Serve: Serve your oil-free pesto and pasta immediately. I like to top my bowl with sliced grape or cherry tomatoes sometimes, or a few reserved tiny leaves of basil. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and some fresh cracked black pepper as well.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition Information Notes: The nutrition information does not include the pasta calculated in the equation because there are so many different types of pasta you could use. So if you need accurate calorie information, please plug in the pasta you use and these ingredients into your favorite calorie tracker. I recommend Cronometer.
- Blanch the basil: If you don't think you'll eat all of it right away, I recommend blanching the basil. Bring a pot of water to a boil (you can even use the water you plan to use for the pasta) and carefully add the basil leaves. Stir gently and allow to blanch for one minute. Remove basil with a slotted spoon and place it in a bowl full of ice water (this is called shocking it). When the basil has cooled, squeeze the excess liquid out with your hands and add to the food processor. This will keep the pesto green all week in the fridge (the basil will turn brown due to oxidation if you don't do this, but you don't need to worry about it if you plan to consume the whole batch the same day).
- White or Yellow Miso Paste: This is to replace the salt in the recipe, but I also love the little hint of umami flavors. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, the soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. Please feel free to omit or use a pinch of salt if that is what you prefer.
- Chickpeas: White beans (navy beans, Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, butter beans may work, but they are usually softer than chickpeas so may produce a more hummus-like texture whereas the chickpeas have a firmer texture that lends itself better to pesto.
- Nutritional Yeast: If you can't eat nutritional yeast, try a little extra miso, onion, and garlic. You may need less liquid to blend (because nutritional yeast thickens the mixture), so either add less aquafaba, or more of everything else.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 recipeCalories: 189.1kcalCarbohydrates: 27.1gProtein: 14.7gFat: 3.1gSodium: 234.7mgPotassium: 786.1mgFiber: 9.9gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 98.4IUVitamin C: 8.4mgCalcium: 103.6mgIron: 9.7mg
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