I was just reading the pesto recipe on a package of basil and for the ‘Classic Pesto’ recipe this is what I read:

Yield: 1 1/3 cups

4 oz fresh basil

1 cup grated romano or pecorino cheese

1 cup pine-nuts

1/2-1 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic

I had to do the math, because just from looking at it, I could tell the fat and calories were going to be off the charts…And they were!! 431 calories and 28 grams of fat comes from the cheese, 915 calories and  92 grams of fat comes from the pine nuts, and 955 calories and 108 grams of fat come from the minimum 1/2 cup of olive oil (1 whole cup is 1909 calories with 216 grams of fat!). That is a total of 2301 calories and 328 grams of fat for the recipe. And I only calculated for 1/2 cup of oil not the full 1 cup! If you divide the recipe by 4 portions, it comes out to 575 calories and 82 grams of fat per person, not including the pasta. Just for some pesto? Really? I love pesto, but that just isn’t cool. In any way.

So I rehabbed the pesto for the better, and calculating for equal yields mine comes down to 834 calories and 78 grams of fat. My recipe only makes 3/4 cup which is enough for a 12 ounce bag of pasta, so the actual calorie/fat count is really 556 calories and 52 grams of fat for the full recipe- even better! As a main (4 portions) that comes to a total, not counting the pasta, of 139 calories and 13 grams of fat per person. Now that’s more like it!!

My daughter loves this pesto. I use it on pasta, pan inis, and pizza dough. If you didn’t know the horrors of pesto calories, sorry for the shock. But now there’s no need to give it up!

Low-Fat Pistachio Pesto

Yield: 3/4 cups- Enough for 12 ounces of pasta

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup raw pistachios

4 oz fresh basil

2 Tablespoons olive oil

*3/4 teaspoon salt

*Use this amount of salt if tossing with pasta. If you want it for a spread or for another application, use 1/4 teaspoon.

Procedure:

Remove basil leaves and discard stems. Wash and dry basil.

Put garlic, pistachios and salt in a food processor and process until nuts are chopped into small pieces. Approx 20-25 seconds

 Add basil leaves. Turn on processor and slowly drizzle in oil. Process until basically smooth, but still retains some texture,  scraping once. It will be salty. Don’t panic! When you toss it with the pasta, it will be just right.

You can freeze the pesto for use at another time, or continue with the recipe.

Cook noodles according to package. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water before draining the pasta.

Put the pesto into the pot you cooked the noodles in.  Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir to blend.

Add pasta and toss to evenly coat. Adjust salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.