Traditional pesto is loaded with oil, which tends to contribute to obesity and other diseases. This version is not quite traditional. (Did you expect anything different from me?)
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.
Low-Oil and Oil-Free Recipes
Looking for more low-oil and oil-free recipes? Check out the luscious Coconut Cream Topping, the delicious Skinny Mayo, the amazing oil-free granola, and the many scrumptious dips in my 14-Day Weight Loss Program.
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.
Fettuccine with Parsley Almond Pesto (Vegan)
Cook
Total
Yield 2 large or 4 small servings
Fresh. Quick. Easy. Flavorful. Vegan. Gluten-Free. The perfect pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccini
- 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.
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Leave a comment
Your comments make my day! 🙂
Tracy Rollenhagen
August 15, 2017 at 1:53 pmThis looks amazing!! Hopefully going to try it out soon.
Jennifer's Kitchen
August 15, 2017 at 7:49 pmI hope you like it!
Nicole
August 15, 2017 at 11:18 pmI didn’t have enough parsley so I used 3 cups basil and 1 cup parsley. It was really good.
Jennifer's Kitchen
August 17, 2017 at 9:26 amYes, yes, yes! Anytime I have enough, I max out the basil.
So glad you liked it, Nicole 🙂
Eileen Shillington
August 21, 2017 at 6:04 pmThanks Jennifer… I’m going to try this pasta…it would seem very healthy and tasty. Eileen