I’m a huge fan of anything that can be spread, drizzled, dipped, and of course, spoon fed from a bowl. Over the past couple years, I’ve found my favourite versions of the following:
I’ve had dinner guests beg for these recipes. I’ve had vegan skeptics go weak in the knees over this cheeze spread on a sandwich. I’ve had nephews eat 4 bowls of Mac n cheeze in a row!
I make these recipes again and again because they are quick, healthy, and I tend to have many of the ingredients on hand.
However, I would make pesto much more often (weekly? daily? Each waking hour?) if I didn’t think I would consume a full cup of oil in the span of…4 minutes. I seriously can’t control myself around that stuff. Until olive oil becomes its own food group, I tend to reserve classic pesto for those special occasions. Not to mention, organic cold-pressed olive oil is priced like liquid gold!
But, I’m impatient my friends. And let’s be real, special occasions don’t happen that often when you’re stuck in the country and your only nearby friend is your weirdo cat. Clearly, I need an everyday pesto.
And new friends.
And navy beans in pesto.
Whaaa?
Before you think I’ve gone mad, hear me out. When navy beans are processed they add a lovely creamy and rich quality to recipes. I’ve used processed navy beans many times in recipes (like creamy soups!) and I’ve always been pleased with the result. I figured processed navy beans would provide this creamy quality to my pesto without missing the oil. Or so I hoped.
My week off must have been good to me because this pesto surpassed my expectations. Either that, or my standards have just dropped. I can’t be certain.
It called my name from the fridge, only this time, I didn’t have to fight it.
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High Protein & Oil-Free Basil Pesto
Yield
1.5 cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This is far from a traditional tasting pesto, but it’s so delicious I couldn’t stop eating it! The navy beans replace the typical cup of oil in this pesto recipe, making it not only oil-free, but high in protein as well. Nutritional yeast adds a cheezy taste while packing protein and B12. Enjoy this pesto spread on sandwiches, pasta, or even use for a dip for vegetables or chips. Spoon feeding encouraged.
Ingredients
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves (don’t be shy- really pack it in!)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 15-oz can navy/cannellini beans (1.5 cups)
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon) I used 3 tbsp
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt (I used 3/4 tsp)
- You can add olive oil to taste if you prefer!
Directions
- Add garlic clove to processor and process until finely chopped.
- Now add in the rest of the ingredients to taste and process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I kid you not, this stuff is addicting. And HEALTHY!
I spread it on bread, along with my favourite cheeze sauce on the other piece.
Now we’re talking.
I grilled tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach for layering.
You can use this pesto as a sandwich spread, mixed into pasta, or as a dip for vegetables and crackers. Really, everything else is simply a vehicle for this pesto to get into your belly. Spoons work great too.
While it’s not exactly like a traditional pesto, I just fell in love with it. Knowing that I was enjoying something naturally fat-free and high in protein made me eat eight times as much. Love that.
Updates:
1. Green Monster Movement was mentioned in O Magazine in this September’s issue!! Whooo, rock on Green Monster fans!
2. I’m a little late to the party, but I finally figured out how to make an Oh She Glows Facebook Page. Click the image to be taken to the page. Basically, it’s me babbling on to myself…so in other words, totally lame fun. Stop over and say hi!
3. The winner of the Peas and Thank You Cookbook is Val! Congrats! I’ve contacted you this morning via email. Thanks to everyone who entered!
this was incredible! unfortunately i couldn’t stop eating it! the more basil, the better!
can not wait to try the white bean pesto!!!!!! sounds awesome…thanks
This was delicious over my gnocchi! I didn’t have nutritional yeast but I added a bit of parsley and I really liked it :)
Be careful with the salt. The can of beans I used was not “m
No salt added” and without really thinking about it, I added a half tsp., so it’s too salty. Also, I added some pine nuts just because I like the taste and was hoping to dull the saltiness somewhat.
did you drain and rinse the navy beans?
Hey Sally, Yes I did. Enjoy!
Thank you for such a simple and wonderful pesto replacement recipe! Trying this today.
Do you drain/rinse the beans before adding them in?
Yup :)
YUM!
I think I do not need a spoon – I’ll simply lick it directly out of the food processor…NOTE TO MYSELF: remove the blades first!
Thank you, Angela, for this recipe. Since I am half Italian I naturally have a love for Italian food, especially pesto and antipasti. This combo just sounds so delish, I cannot wait to get home tonight and try it – hopefully I will get some for myself because two of our four cats LOVE beans and greens…
Have you ever tried freezing this recipe?
Im sorry I haven’t! let me know if you try it out.
This looks fabulous and my basil plant is getting ready to die in this chilly weather! How do you store this? I was going to make it now but use it later. Also have you tried freezing it? Thanks!
This is so freaking good I could eat it on cardboard!!!!! TY!!!
Delicious! Absolutely wonderful, thank you!
I used it in a grilled tomato and Daiya Mozzarella cheese sandwich…yum!
I wonder if adding some nuts during the process would give it a good texture- I’ll try that next time.
I love this recipe! I was searching for a pesto recipe because I had a ton of leftover basil and yours was perfect. I love that it doesn’t have nuts it in or all of the oil that is usually in pesto. It’s so creamy. I just made a pesto, daiya (mozz), and chickpea quesadilla with it and it was amazing!
Absolutely love this. This is the first recipe I’ve tried from Oh She Glows and I think I found my favorite new site! Delicious, creamy, versatile. Can use it as a spread, on pasta, I even used it as a base for a pizza (instead of pizza sauce). Thank you SO much – what a creative way to replace the oil. Thank you Thank you!
Hey Courtney, Im so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know…great idea about a pizza base!
I’ve just made this – well a version of it – and it is DELICIOUS! I subbed spinach for basil since I don’t have any, and added a half teaspoon of oil and some chopped tomatoes and it is amazing! Thank you :)
I just made this and it was delicious. Mine wasn’t very green so I added a handful of spinach and it became my new favorite pesto!! Thanks for this recipe :) I will probably be freezing some in ice cube trays (perfect 2 tbsp portion) so I will let you know how they thaw out!
You’re right, spoons away! I think there was about a 3 second lapse from the time the pesto was poured into the jar to the point where the spoon broke the surface. (3 seconds is being verrrrry generous).
Thank you!!
Just found u today, but I’ll be back! Made this and it was great! Can’t wait to dig through the archives for more yummies!!!
I have been looking for an oil free pesto recipe for a long time. I came across yours last night, made the pesto this afternoon and it was SOOOOOOO DELISH!!!! I literally had to stop myself from eating it directly from the blender. Thanks for the recipe – AMAZING!!!
This was so yummy! I added 2 T of olive oil and tossed it with pasta, summer squash, heirloom tomatoes, and spinach. So creamy! My hubby Eric and I decided it needs to be put on the repeat-worthy list!