With my potted basil growing like crazy and flowering, I picked a huge handful. I know that pesto usually has a lot of oil and I wondered if it could be made without it. I wasn’t disappointed with this vegan oil-free basil pesto with pasta dish!
We use miso paste which gives it a tangy, umami flavor, and also offers a nice dose of healthy probiotics. Nutritional yeast is another special edition, which enhances the “cheesy” flavor, and offers a dose of B12, an essential vitamin that should be monitored when eating plant based.
Basil is an herb that people love because of its fragrance and flavor, but did you know that consuming basil also offers immune protecting punch; fights cancer combats stress and depression, and acts as an antimicrobial and antiviral. It’s no wonder Italians are so happy!
Well, I can’t believe how great this recipe turned out.
Try pesto in these plant-based recipes:
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Risotto with Basil Pesto
- Spring Asparagus, Pea, Zucchini Soup with Pesto
- Pasta with Spinach Pesto
I served this beautiful oil-free pesto sauce over organic whole wheat pasta from Bionaturae. This pasta brand was highest rated at America’s Test Kitchen for whole wheat pasta, which has a good texture and doesn’t stick together.
If you are gluten-free, you can also opt for brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, even a fun and exotic black bean spaghetti that started showing up on the supermarket shelves.
If you would like to leave this low carb, you can most definitely leave out the pasta. You can use spiraled zucchini, baked spaghetti squash, or just top or dip with your raw, lightly steamed or roasted veggies.
I also love using this pesto as a marinade before baking my tofu, and a spread to enhance my wrap or sandwich.
I am so excited when I find a way to recreate our favorites in a healthier way. This pesto recipe is super dynamic and is wonderful to store in a mason jar. This could keep for a good few weeks, using it in a variety of ways. This may become your go-to staple!
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Pasta with Pesto recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
- Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories
Vegan Oil-Free Basil Pesto with Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups tightly packed basil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbl light miso
- 3 Tbl nutritional yeast
- 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
- 2-4 Tbl water more or less depending on desired consistency
- 8 oz whole wheat pasta dry
Instructions
- Blend basil, garlic, miso, nutritional yeast and pine nuts in food processor.
- Slowly drizzle in water while machine is running to desired consistency.
- Serve over whole wheat spaghetti adding a little pasta water if it becomes too thick.
When du u add the yeast
Oops, thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it in the recipe. You add it at the start along with the other ingredients.
I don’t recall ever having pasta with Pesto however your recipe sounds fantastic. Gonna try it!!
It’s yummy, I think you’ll like it!
Are the calories correct at 269 per serving and what is the serving size? Sounds quite steep in calories.
Hi Kim, I don’t have the exact serving size except that it’s 1/4 of the recipes. That probably doesn’t help much. I’ll be making this recipe soon so will get that measurement for you. As for the calories, I recalculated the recipe and I’m not sure why it was high, although different nutrition calculators can often give very different results. I tried a different calculator and this time the calorie count for one serving was 142 calories. I’ll update that now. I hope that helps.