Lighter Pesto Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti at a boil until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Transfer spaghetti to a large bowl.
• Put cubed Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely grated, about 30 seconds. Put garlic into the food processor and process until the cheese and garlic are combined. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt; process until the mixture comes together into a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue processing until the oil is integrated smoothly.
• Pour sauce over spaghetti and toss to coat.

Steps:

• Chop basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. Add ricotta cheese to the basil mixture and process. Repeat with Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add vegetable broth and process until sauce is smooth. Add more broth if pesto is too thick.

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook whole-wheat spaghetti until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
• Toss pasta with lighter pesto, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season with salt and pepper. Serve, garnished with shredded basil, if desired.

Steps:

• Peel skin from garlic cloves, and chop into big chunks.
• Using a food processor, pulse basil, garlic, and nuts several times until finely chopped.
• Add cheese and ¼ cup of the olive oil, and pulse until blended.
• Pesto will be thick, so add more olive oil if desired for a looser consistency.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 cups salted water to a boil; add basil, and submerge with a spoon. Immediately drain in a colander. Rinse with cold water until cool, then pat basil completely dry in paper towels.
• In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, and garlic; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze.