Best 5 Light Lemon Pesto Pasta Recipes

Lemon pesto pasta is a light and refreshing dish that is perfect for a summer meal. The combination of bright lemon flavor and creamy pesto sauce creates a dish that is both flavorful and satisfying. With just a few simple ingredients, you can easily make this dish at home in under 30 minutes. In this article, we will provide you with the best recipe for light lemon pesto pasta, along with tips for making the perfect pesto sauce and choosing the right pasta. So, gather your ingredients and let's get started!

Let's cook with our recipes!

LIGHT LEMON PESTO PASTA

Light Lemon Pesto Pasta image

Light, yet full of flavor, this pesto is perfect tossed with hot spaghetti for a quick dinner. It is also excellent as a pizza sauce or smeared on hot French bread. It freezes well to preserve the bounty of summer basil.

Provided by Baking Nana

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 30m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
4 ounces Pecorino-Romano cheese, cut into cubes
6 cloves garlic
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti at a boil until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Transfer spaghetti to a large bowl.
Put cubed Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely grated, about 30 seconds. Put garlic into the food processor and process until the cheese and garlic are combined. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt; process until the mixture comes together into a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue processing until the oil is integrated smoothly.
Pour sauce over spaghetti and toss to coat.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 464.7 calories, Carbohydrate 60.2 g, Cholesterol 19.7 mg, Fat 17.2 g, Fiber 3.5 g, Protein 18 g, SaturatedFat 4.7 g, Sodium 337.3 mg, Sugar 2.7 g

LEMON PESTO PASTA

Lemon Pesto Pasta image

Make and share this Lemon Pesto Pasta recipe from Food.com.

Provided by KandB

Categories One Dish Meal

Time 35m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

1 (500 g) package cappelletti pasta
1 cup broccoli floret
3 chicken breasts
4 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil or 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup basil pesto
1 meyer lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Steps:

Pan cook three chicken breasts. While doing that bring water to boil and cook pasta for 9-10 minutes. When pasta has about 3 minutes left, toss in broccoli.
Drain off pasta and broccoli and place in bowl; cut chicken into bit size pieces and toss into bowl with pasta.
Pour olive oil, basil pesto and juice of one lemon into bowl and stir until pasta is coated thoroughly. Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese over top and serve.

LEMON & GREENS PESTO PASTA

Lemon & greens pesto pasta image

Prep, cook and serve this quick and easy lemon and green veg pasta in just 15 minutes. It's perfect for busy days, and will be loved by the whole family

Provided by Shivi Ramoutar

Categories Dinner

Time 15m

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

350g pasta (we used linguine)
½ small head of broccoli, cut into florets
large handful of basil
1 large handful of spinach wilted in boiling water, cooled and excess water squeezed out
4 tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove, grated
½ lemon, zested and juiced
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
large handful of frozen peas, set aside in boiled water until heated through
3 tbsp grated parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese
3 tbsp soft cheese

Steps:

Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli for 4 mins in boiling salted water. Drain, then put in a food processor along with the basil, spinach and pine nuts. Pulse until combined.
Stir in the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, peas, parmesan and soft cheese, and season to taste.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan and add the pesto along with a splash of water to loosen. Toss together, check the seasoning and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 647 calories, Fat 35 grams fat, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 60 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 4 grams sugar, Fiber 8 grams fiber, Protein 20 grams protein, Sodium 0.3 milligram of sodium

LIGHT PESTO

Light Pesto image

"I adapted this recipe by substituting fresh lemon juice for olive oil-cutting the fat, but not the flavor," says Cynthia Nardi from Uhrichsville, Ohio. "

Provided by Taste of Home

Time 5m

Yield 5 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

4 ounces Romano cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves
2-2/3 cups loosely packed fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
Hot cooked spaghetti

Steps:

In a food processor, combine Romano cheese and garlic; cover and process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, nuts, salt and pepper; cover and process until combined, about 15 seconds. While processing, add the lemon juice; process about 15 seconds longer or until combined. Toss the spaghetti.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 155 calories, Fat 11g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 24mg cholesterol, Sodium 626mg sodium, Carbohydrate 5g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 9g protein. Diabetic Exchanges

LEMON PESTO SPAGHETTI

Lemon Pesto Spaghetti image

Provided by Mary McCartney

Categories main-dish

Time 15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon pine nuts
Flaky sea salt
14 ounces dried spaghetti
2 cups fresh basil plus a handful of leaves, for garnish
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

To toast the pine nuts, tip 1 tablespoon of the nuts into a dry saute pan over medium-high heat and toast, tossing constantly, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
Add a generous pinch of flaky sea salt to a large saucepan of boiling water. Add the spaghetti and cook as per packet instructions. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
For the pesto, put 2 cups basil, the remaining 1/3 cup pine nuts, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice into a food processor. Blitz until everything is well blended.
When the pasta is just cooked (al dente) drain it in a colander. Add the pesto to the saucepan then tip the pasta back in. Stir well to make sure every strand of pasta is coated in the pesto.
Tip into a large family-style serving dish, garnish with the toasted pine nuts and a few basil leaves.

Tips:

If you don't have fresh lemons on hand, you can use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice plus 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
You can also use any type of pasta that you like for this recipe.
To make the pesto ahead of time, simply combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
If you don't have pine nuts, you can substitute walnuts or almonds.
To make the pasta dish vegan, simply omit the Parmesan cheese.

Conclusion:

This light lemon pesto pasta is a delicious and refreshing meal that is perfect for a summer lunch or dinner. The lemon pesto is bright and flavorful, and the pasta is cooked al dente to perfection. This dish is also very easy to make, and it can be on the table in just 30 minutes. So next time you're looking for a quick and easy pasta dish, give this light lemon pesto pasta a try. You won't be disappointed!