Sigh! The question is can you get supreme flavor with less oil, less nuts, those heavy calorie hitters? The one in my fridge which took about 5 minutes to make has a mere 28 calories per tablespoon, a far cry from the classic one. The small amount of oil is enhanced and evenly blended with just a splash of water.
Place the basil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and pine nuts in a food processor and blend until smooth and still slightly chunky.
Add the olive oil and water and process until nearly smooth.
Remove pesto from the processor bowl to a small serving dish and season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir to mix.
Serve immediately or let sit for 30 minutes to let flavors blend.
Recipe Notes
Consider growing a pot of basil on your patio, in your yard, on a sunny window sill. You'll find all kinds of delicious uses for it—in salads, soups and you'll want to have a stash of pesto at the ready in the fridge.Pesto freezes beautifully in ice cube containers so that you can use a small amount at a time for your dish.Pine nuts can be purchased already toasted; if you have raw ones, then slip them into a 350F degree oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.This step is important as it brings out the oil in the nuts.Since you're only using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, go for the best quality you can find and make certain it is extra-virgin.Serving size: 2 tablespoonsClick here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.1*SmartPoints (Green plan)1*SmartPoints (Blue plan)1*SmartPoints (Purple plan)1*PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition Facts
Low Fat Vegan Basil Pesto
Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons)
Calories 28Calories from Fat 20
% Daily Value*
Fat 2.2g3%
Carbohydrates 0.8g0%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Protein 1.6g3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.