Skip to main content

Lighter Basil Pesto

"Basil pesto is one of my favorite foods, especially in the summer. Unfortunately pesto is very high in fat and calories, so I have been working to create a lower fat and calorie version. This pesto is creamy and delicious without the guilt! This recipe is also great with any type of stock or nuts that you have at home."

By allrecipes · From Open Recipes · 8 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓
Lighter Basil Pesto

Why it works: Basil and pine match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 332 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓

Lighter Basil Pesto

8 servings
Prep15 min

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

649Calories
27 gProtein
50 gFat
23 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup (124g) part-skim174
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By allrecipes. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Basil + pinetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together332 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

  2. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Basil + olivetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,063 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Basil + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,805 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Basil + clovetop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,437 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the nuts

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (basil, clove, garlic, pine, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, olive):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Beansfits better
  3. Walnutfits better
  4. Nutsthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against basil, clove, garlic, pine, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.