Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2011

I am giving this 5 stars for being a very very good light pesto recipe. I slightly prefer regular pesto with the oil in it, but this really tasted quite close to the "real" thing. I used fresh lemon juice when I made this and instead of serving with pasta, I stuffed it in chicken and baked it. Thanks for this great recipe!

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Reviewer:

mkstevens09

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Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Ortonville, Michigan, USA

Living In: Lake Orion, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 30, 2011

I thought this was an excellent alternative to oily pesto. The only thing I changed was to use parmesan instead of romano (since that's what I had on hand), and added about 1/4 cup water to thin it out a little. I sprinkled mine with crushed red pepper flakes. Yummy!

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Reviewer:

LA ESPOSA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Salisbury, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 26, 2011

I made the recipe as is at first, it was nice and had a little zing to it from the lemon. I made a second batch with olive oil and mixed it together. I like it best when mixed but can/will use just lemon juice in the future. It's a nice, small change to regular pesto.

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Reviewer:

Kristy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Hilo, Hawaii, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 27, 2010

Delish pesto that's low fat, awesome! I subbed parmesan for romano, spinach for basil, and almonds for walnuts because that's what I had on hand... and drizzed in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I served it over tortellini first then used the leftover in the "pesto cheesy chicken rolls" recipe on this site.

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Reviewer:

kristykk

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Montross, Virginia, USA

Living In: Oakton, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 10, 2010

This is very zesty, definitely not your traditional pesto. If you are looking for a real pesto recipe, this is NOT it. It has a strange "kick" to it, and even though I love lemon I was a bit overwhelmed by the citrus. I did add a bit of olive oil after tasting it because it REALLY needed it for flavor and to make it stick to the pasta. As a regular recipe I would give this maybe 2 stars, but I am so thrilled to have a lower fat way to make pesto that I am giving it 3 stars. I might make this again, but I would DEFINITELY cut the lemon in half and add a bit of olive oil. Plus pesto should really be made with parmesan cheese and pine nuts, so next time I may make those substitutions as well.

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Reviewer:

girlbob

Reviewed: Jul. 27, 2010

It was ok given how it is much lower in fat than regular Pesto. But the lemon flavor overwhelmed for me.

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Reviewer:

CLOTHO13

Reviewed: Jul. 18, 2010

Wow! Was this ever delicious and mostly healthy. I threw in some extra garlic, spinach and one roasted red pepper. When tossing it with the spaghetti, I added just a tsp of olive oil so it served better. Will definitely make this again, and again!

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Reviewer:

michpoo

Reviewed: May 24, 2010

I used a combination of pine nuts and Brazil nuts and also added 2 sundried tomatoes. The taste was outstanding. I love how light and fresh this pesto is. I will never go back to the oily stuff again! Thanks!

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Reviewer:

traveling1

Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2010

Delicious!! I used feta instead of Romano, and a few leaves of baby spinach since I didn't have a ton of basil leaves on my plants. I think we liked it even better than the pesto recipes with all the oil in them!

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Reviewer:

Erin

Cooking Level: Beginning

Living In: Plymouth, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

I was looking for a lighter recipe to satisfy my wife"s pesto cravings. I'm glad I found this one. This is absolutely incredible with seafood! We just tossed it with whole wheat angel hair pasta and threw in some freshly boiled shrimp. A super-easy weeknight "gourmet" meal! Thanks!!

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