Nut Free Pesto
Author: 
Recipe type: Pesto
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2 cups
 
Nut Free Pesto: made with white beans, fresh basil, garlic, and lemon, you won't miss all the oil and nuts in this healthy pesto recipe!
Ingredients
  • 3½ cups (or 2 cans of cannellini beans, if using, be sure to rinse and drain with ½ cup of cooking liquid reserved)
  • 3 cups packed basil
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest (from 1 organic lemon)-be sure to not get the white pith when you grate, it's bitter
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic, or 3-4 cloves
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½ tsp salt
  • pepper to taste, and additional salt if desired
  • Serving suggestions: serve on top of traditional noodles, or zoodles (zucchini pasta) along with fresh minced basil, scallions, and chopped pistachios.
Instructions
  1. Place ingredients, except reserved cooking liquid, in a good blender, like a Vitamix, in order given
  2. With blender running, add reserved cooking liquid or water to thin to desired consistency.
  3. If freezing, place pesto into ice cube trays, cover with saran or foil and place into freezer. Remove once frozen (about 1 day) and place into freezer bags for long-term storage. Will last 6-12 months in freezer
  4. If using on zoodles: Take a zucchini, and spiralize it. Per 2 cups of zoodles, add about 2-3 tbsp of pesto. Massage pesto into zoodles and serve cold. Alternative, sauté zoodles in a few tbsp of water and add pesto to warm zoodles to coat. Season with additional pepper/salt, if desired, and top with fresh basil, pistachios, scallions, and additional nutritional yeast.
Recipe by Garden Fresh Foodie at https://gardenfreshfoodie.com/main-dishes/nut-free-pesto/