Healthy Pesto Sauce Recipes

Find healthy, delicious pesto sauce recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Zucchini Noodles with Pesto & Chicken

Rating: Unrated
8
This healthy summer dinner subs zoodles for pasta to help use up your zucchini bounty--as well as slash calories and carbs. Once the spiralized zucchini has time to soak up the herby pesto sauce, this chicken and pesto pasta makes particularly good leftovers.
By Carolyn Casner

Avocado Pesto

Rating: Unrated
10
Avocados add a silky consistency and cheese-like richness to this dairy-free pesto recipe. Toss it with pasta, spread it on baguette slices to make bruschetta, or use it for a healthy mayo substitute on your sandwich.
By Jason Mraz

Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata

Here we pan-fry gnocchi to get them crispy, then coat them with a pesto-like sauce made with sweet peas, spinach, basil and cashews.
By Breana Killeen

Pesto Pasta Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
A creamy pesto sauce turns this simple pasta salad into a delightful dinner. Adding broccoli to the pasta cooking water just before the pasta is done is a convenient way to briefly cook it so that it turns a vivid shade of green and softens slightly.
By Carolyn Casner

Simple Vegan Pesto Zoodles

Zucchini noodles, or "zoodles," are a gluten-free, low-calorie substitute for traditional pasta in this easy and fresh vegan dinner. For best results, toss the zucchini pasta with the basil pesto sauce and serve right away.
By Hilary Meyer

Basic Basil Pesto

Rating: Unrated
5
Simplicity reigns in this traditional sauce--just basil, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Our one modification? We like omega-3-laden walnuts in the mix for their crunch and delicate flavor, but pine nuts, almonds, pecans or even pistachios may be substituted for the walnuts.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Carrot Tart with Carrot-Green Pesto

Rating: Unrated
2
In this vegetarian main-dish recipe, you use the entire carrot from root to greens, so there's less waste. Roasted carrots are layered on top of a creamy ricotta base with pesto made using the green tops from carrots. Untrimmed carrots can be tough to find, but when you do, cut off the tops and store them separately or they'll draw moisture from the carrots. If you don't have carrot greens, use 1 cup of parsley instead.
By Breana Killeen

Tarragon Pesto

Rating: Unrated
1
The French flavor of tarragon inspires this pesto, which is wonderful stirred into a simple fish or chicken soup and brings a je ne sais quoi to chicken salad.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Goat Cheese Pesto

The taste of soft goat cheese is more present in this California version of pesto than Parmigiano-Reggiano is in a basil pesto. Consider it a multidimensional recipe: dip, sauce and spread.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Tomato & Almond Pesto

Rating: Unrated
2
The delightful richness of Ellie Krieger's sundried tomato and almond pesto is a perfect partner for nutty whole-wheat pasta. It's also delicious spread on grilled chicken.
By Ellie Krieger

Classic Basil Pesto

Rating: Unrated
1
Turn the bounty of summer basil into a delicious sauce with this easy pesto recipe. Try it stirred into a tomato or potato salad, or spread onto a sandwich in place of your favorite condiment.
By Hilary Meyer

Parsley-Caper Pesto

In this dairy-free parsley pesto recipe, lemon juice and zest pack a citrusy punch to brighten any dish. Try it dolloped on grilled fish or stirred into pasta for an instant flavor boost.
By Hilary Meyer

Inspiration and Ideas

The Best Avocado Pesto

The Best Avocado Pesto

Avocados add a silky consistency and richness to this vegan pesto recipe.
Pesto Pork Pinwheels

Pesto Pork Pinwheels

Stuff lean pork tenderloin with pesto for delicious flavor from the inside out.
The Only Pesto Recipe You'll Ever Need

The Only Pesto Recipe You'll Ever Need

Roasted Tomato Pesto

Roasted Tomato Pesto

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Rating: Unrated
1
Arugula Pesto

Arugula Pesto

Rating: Unrated
1

Vegan Pesto

Nutritional yeast gives this vegan pesto a cheesy flavor, while cashews make it creamy. For a nuttier flavor, use dry-roasted cashews or toast them yourself in the oven before processing. Smear this simple spread on sandwiches, toss with warm pasta, or use it as dip for crudités.

All Healthy Pesto Sauce Recipes

Garlic Scape Pesto

During the spring and early summer when garlic scapes are plentiful at farmers' markets and farmstands, this healthy garlic scape pesto recipe is a great way to enjoy their gorgeous garlicky flavor for weeks. Garlic scapes are the green, spiral-shaped sprouts that appear on the top of garlic plants in the spring. Regular garlic cloves can be used as a substitute for garlic scapes. Try the pesto with pasta, stir-fries, grilled fish, poultry or steaks or add it to scrambled eggs, soup or pasta sauces.
By Kathy Gunst

Mint Pesto

Since pesto is a “raw” sauce, the flavor of the olive oil is crucial to its success. Use the best first-cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil you can comfortably afford.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cilantro Pesto

Rating: Unrated
1
Try this delicious pesto on grilled fish or burgers.
By Patsy Jamieson

Lovage Pesto

Lovage tastes like cardamom and celery had a baby. If you can't find lovage, increase basil to 1 3/4 cups and add 1 1/2 cups celery leaves. Recipe by Chef/Farmer Stacey Givens of The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, Portland, OR.
By Stacey Givens

Tofu Pesto

Replacing some of the oil used to make pesto with silken tofu yields a thick and creamy texture--and less fat.
By Patsy Jamieson

Beet & Arugula Pesto

Sweet beets, peppery arugula and toasted pecans are blended together in this dairy-free, healthy pesto recipe. Try it spread on crostini or spooned over grilled chicken or pork.
By Hilary Meyer

Grilled Radicchio Pesto

Radicchio mellows from bitter to sweet when grilled in this healthy pesto recipe. Try it spooned over grilled chicken or steak, or stirred into your favorite pasta.
By Hilary Meyer

Pine Nut Pesto

This basil and arugula pesto is ready in five minutes and perfect on bruschetta, sandwiches or pasta.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pesto

Rating: Unrated
2
This pesto highlights the basil and pine nuts first and melds them together with just the right amount of freshly grated cheese and extra-virgin olive oil. Try it instead of red sauce on pizza or tossed with warm pasta.
By G. Franco Romagnoli

Green Pea Pesto

Who says all pestos have to be made with basil and pine nuts? This nut- and garlic-free pesto recipe will prove that all pestos are not equal. Sweet peas, parsley, basil and mint are blended with Parmesan cheese and a mild shallot, resulting in a fresh, tasty sauce that can be served with vegetables or pasta, or even used as a sandwich spread.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Spinach Pesto

This versatile pesto can be tossed with pasta for a quick supper or spread on crostini for a sophisticated appetizer.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Tomato Salad with Tarragon Pesto & Pumpernickel Croutons

With this easy tomato salad, more is more--so if you want, go wild with an outrageous selection of tomatoes. Look for big gnarly tomatoes, plum-shaped varieties, smooth or peach-fuzzed skins, zebra stripes, not to mention the miniatures at the summer farmers' market. All the visual variation means you'll get a range of flavors as well.
By Nora Singley

Herb-Almond Pesto

Fresh chiles and lime juice give this herb-almond pesto a pleasant kick. Serve with baked tortilla chips or use to top burgers or fish.
By Patsy Jamieson
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