Creamy Pesto Pasta

Two recipes in one! Light Pesto is packed full of bright flavors. You can use it as a dressing, marinade, or sauce for a variety of dishes, like Creamy Pesto Pasta. The perfect spring meal!

It’s the first day of spring! I know times are strange right now, but I’m still going to let myself get excited for all of the spring ingredients that will open up for us in the coming weeks.

I never really was a pesto person. I usually gravitate towards sauces like my Skinny Alfredo or Quick Marinara. But some of you reached out to my on Instagram asking if I create a lighter pesto recipe. I’m so glad you asked for this! I’ve been missing out on the bold and bright flavors for far too long.

Making your pesto at home is actually quite simple and, I’ve found, a bit cheaper than buying the premade stuff. The main ingredient is fresh basil, which is what gives it that bright, spring flavor. But if you can’t find basil, you could use any of these other leafy greens:

• Spinach
• Arugula
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Kale

Any of these would be great with the combination of lemon, garlic, and parmesan. I do think basil is the best, though!

How to make the perfect light pesto

Most pesto recipes include a lot of olive oil, so reducing that is all you really need to do. Because olive oil has lots of flavor, I used vegetable stock . That adds flavor back in for zero points!

Traditional pesto includes pine nuts, but they are pretty expensive. I also have almonds in my freezer because they tend to be lower in points than most other nuts, so why not use them in a recipe, too?

I think adding in just one tablespoon of olive oil, rather than upwards of a full cup (!!), helps maintain a thicker texture. You could use all stock if you want, but the olive oil does make a difference. I wanted to make this version taste as similar to regular pesto as possible.

Putting the sauce together is honestly as easy as it gets. Just throw the basil in a blender or food processor with the veggie stock, fresh garlic, lemon juice, almonds, and Parmesan cheese. So simple yet so packed with flavor!

How to Use Light Pesto

Of course, you can use it as a pasta sauce (we’ll talk about that delicious Creamy Pesto Pasta in a minute). The best part about this sauce is that you don’t have to cook it, so it’s actually FANTASTIC as a dressing for pasta salad! Heat it up with some cooked pasta, or eat cold or at room temp.

This is also great as a marinade for grilled shrimp or chicken. Marinade your shrimp for an hour or chicken for up to 24 hours in about half of the sauce. Reserve the other half to drizzle on top. Grill the protein along with some potatoes and veggies, and you’ve got a super quick spring or summer meal!

Other uses? Toss it with roasted potatoes–now you have pesto potatoes! OR drizzle some into mashed potatoes for extra flavor. Use it as a dressing for salad or roasted veggies. There are so many possibilities!

Creamy Pesto PAsta

As you can tell from the title of the post, my favorite way to use this is in a super simple creamy pasta. It’s a 20-minute meal that packs so much flavor and complexity! A total restaurant dupe.

If you want to keep it vegetarian, I would add in some sliced baby tomatoes to bulk it up. Or make it as a side dish. Without adding anything else (just 10 oz dried pasta, cooked, along with the sauce), a single serving is a little under a cup.

But I like adding some shrimp sauteed with salt, pepper, and some red pepper flakes. That ups the serving size to 1 1/2 cups and packs in more protein. Chicken would also work.

I also add in a little half and half because you know I love cream sauces. This is optional, but I highly recommend it. Totally puts the whole dish over the top!

Here are your two recipes in one post!

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!