Fettuccine with Parsley Almond Pesto (Vegan)

Traditional pesto is loaded with oil, which tends to contribute to obesity and other diseases.  This version is not quite traditional.

A Healthier Pasta Sauce

Besides leaving out the tanker of oil, I’ve included some parsley (for those who find it difficult to spend a half day’s wages on fresh basil).  And I’ve excluded the cheese – and thus excluded 215 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 44 milligrams of cholesterol. (Yowza!)

Fewer Calories

What does this mean?

This means you get a delicious, cholesterol-free, easy-to-prepare Pasta with Parsley Almond Pesto Sauce with 129 fewer grams of refined fat and 1117 fewer calories than pasta with traditional pesto. (per 4 small servings) (Double yowza!)

Mmmmm … pasta topped with a flavorful, nutty, fresh-tasting pesto sauce. So delicious and so good for you.

Gluten-Free Pasta

I also used gluten-free pasta, which is totally an optional part of this recipe, but we’ve found some gluten-free pasta that is absolutely delicious, and we like it even better than regular pasta.

Check out our gluten-free pasta taste test.

Low-Oil and Oil-Free Recipes

Despite what you may read on the internet, oil comes attached to a number of negative health effects, such as hindered digestion, weight gain, and inflammation. Why does oil cause so many health issues? Well, there are a number of reasons, but one of them is that oil is a highly-refined food. Unlike whole foods (like olives, almonds, and coconuts), all oils (like olive oil, almond oil, and coconut oil) have most of the nutrients stripped from them.

If you’d like to understand more about why oil is not a health food and what will happen if you remove oil from your diet, check out my post – Is Oil Healthy?

If you’d like to try some recipes that are completely oil-free, I have several yummy recipes that deliciously and creatively get the oil out.

Delicious and Easy Weight Loss

Forget counting calories. Forget restricting portion sizes. Simply eat the right foods at the right time, and watch the weight fall off.  Check out the lusciously creamy toppings, smooth sauces, and scrumptious dips in my Weight Loss Program.

This website is brought to you without annoying ads because we can better live healthier lives without the influence of marketing. But running a high-traffic site is expensive. How can you help? If you purchase anything through the affiliate links on my site, your cost is the same, but I receive a small commission. Thank you!

Fettuccine with Parsley Almond Pesto (Vegan)

Fresh. Quick. Easy. Flavorful. Vegan. Gluten-Free. The perfect pasta recipe.

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Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Course Main Course

YIELD 2 large servings

All recipes on jenniferskitchen.com are property of jennifer’s kitchen and cannot be republished without written permission.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked fettuccini pasta
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 3 3/4 cups (packed) fresh parsley - (large and tough stems removed)
• 4 – 5 cloves garlic
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice - scant
• 3/4 cup pasta water

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water when draining pasta. (The pasta water will be added to the blender.)
• While pasta is cooking, place almonds in food processor and coarsely grind.
• Add parsley and garlic and process until parsley is almost pureed.
• Add fresh basil, granulated onion, salt, olive oil, and lemon juice and process until basil is very, very finely chopped.
• Remove 3/4 cup of pasta water from pasta and add to pesto. Process until mixed.
• When pasta is done, drain pasta. Serve parsley pesto over hot pasta.

Notes

1. This recipe works great in a 12-cup food processor. If your food processor is smaller, you may want to prepare the pesto sauce in batches.

2. This recipe generously serves two. If you’d like to make a double recipe, be sure to make sauce in batches. A double recipe of the pesto sauce needs more space than it will get in a 12-cup food processor.

3. Actual hands-on time is less than 15 minutes. The total time you need to give yourself to make this recipe depends on how long it takes your stove to bring water to boil.

Yield: This makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

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