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!
Just made the no oil pesto. WOW I really love this stuff. I use it as a dip, on my salads , as a spread well just about everything so good Love your recipes Thanks for another great one !!
What if I don’t have any nutritional yeast???
You might be able to leave it out, although the flavour won’t be as cheesy. if you do remove it, I suggest decreasing the lemon juice a bit as the nutritional yeast often subdues the acidity.
Thank you very much!
This recipe is great! Thank you for sharing.
Just made this…omg best. Pesto. Ever… That’s all I have to say
So glad you enjoyed it Stephanie!
This pesto is absolutely delicious. I spread a thin layer on bread, put on two slices of tomato, top with a smidge of mozzarella and broil. Delicious “pizza” with the perfect pesto flavor. Thank you. :)
This recipe is so creative and it worked out perfectly for me! I’d never thought to include beans in pesto before. My for dinner last night I made a quinoa and veggie salad and my family and I dolloped the pesto on top. Oh my yum. We loved it so much that we’re having the leftover pesto on some whole wheat pasta tonight!
I poured this pesto over 3 cans of garbanzo beans for a nice easy dinner
I am soooo making this, and that sandwich looks fabulous! I use cilantro in place of basil to up the metal detox so this should be interesting. Thank you!
This is delicious!! I didn’t have nutritional yeast so I used parmesan cheese and that worked fine. I used butter beans instead of canelli beans also. The only thing is that mine was a bit bitter, I think maybe too much lemon. Great recipe :)
oh joy! I lost my oil less pesto recipe that I used to make w/ garbanza beans
Your recipe looks perfect….life is too short to live without pesto:)
Thank you
just made it with Kale and it is yum! I am eating now with peppers and onions on it open faced… Perfect brunch food!
Just made it, YYYYYUUUUUMMMMM!! I didn’t have nutritional yeast which I’m sure would make it even better.
Tried this recipe today and it’s WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for an oil-free pesto. I can hardly wait to boil up my brown rice pasta and use this as the sauce!
:o)
Can you substitute cannellini beans for the navy beans?
I found this recipe right after I discovered all my basil had succumbed to last night’s frost. Oil free! Thanks a bunch!
I was really excited about this recipe because pesto can get SO oily, but cutting out the oil out can make the pesto super dry. I think this recipe was fine, but for some reason the consistency was not as wet. I did not use any nutritional yeast though. I would also probably sub out the lemon next time because I felt like it gave the pesto an odd flavor. Love the photography on here!
How long can you keep in for?
How long does this last if you store it? I want to make it but won’t be eating that much everyday…Do I refrigerate it? and how long does it usually keep for?
Should you drain the beans before putting them in the food processor?
Does it freeze well?