Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto for Any Day of the Year
When you hear the word “pesto” your thoughts probably go to basil, and we do have a low FODMAP Basil Pesto recipe, if that’s what you are looking for.
But we typically make basil pesto in the summer when the garden and farmer’s markets are bursting with basil, but mid-winter, when we have a hankering, we tend to look towards parsley.
Before you think that sounds boring, please give our Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto a try!
Always Have Parsley On Hand
We always try to have fresh, flat-leaf parsley on hand in the Test Kitchen as it gets put to use in so many recipes – and as more than a garnish.
Fresh parsley has such a fresh, green flavor that adds a bright herbaceous color and flavor to so many dishes. And sometimes it is the feature flavor, such as in this recipe for Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto.
This recipe came about when some parsley that I had on hand was not getting used quickly enough and I didn’t want it to go bad and waste it. I thought, let’s make a pesto! And, I wanted to make a cheese-less version.
Yup, this Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto is Vegan!
Choose Your Herb; Choose Your Nut
There are actually many basil pesto recipes without cheese as well. This approach, at its most basic, is comprised of the herb of choice, garlic, oil and nuts – garlic-infused oil for us FODMAPers.
The nuts called for in many pesto recipe are typically pine nuts, which are low FODMAP in amounts of 1 Australian tablespoon (14 g), but sometimes other nuts, such as almonds, walnuts or pecans will come into play.
One huge caveat: while almonds, walnuts and pecans all have low FODMAP serving sizes, they are not all interchangeable evenly and equally with pine nuts.
While you could substitute a different nut in this recipe, it would alter the FODMAP content, total yield and the low FODMAP serving size.
Try this Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto when there is no basil around – or even when you want a pesto with the singular fresh flavor of parsley front and center.
Vegan & Versatile
Tossed with pasta, a little pasta water to loosen it up and your choice of low FODMAP vegetables, this Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto will create a quick dinner.
And it is versatile enough for non-vegans as well. Here below you can see a quick shrimp dinner I put together. While the pasta was boiling I threw a few shrimp into the water to cook alongside.
I loosened up the pesto a bit with pasta water and tossed the shrimp, pasta and pesto with halved cherry tomatoes and black olives and dinner was ready practically in the time it took for the pasta to cook!
Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto
This very basic Low FODMAP Parsley Pesto is easy and VEGAN!
Low FODMAP Serving Size Info: Makes about 1 cup (about (240 g); 8 servings; serving size 2 tablespoons
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup (180 ml) Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil or purchased equivalent, divided
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups (about 40 g) lightly packed washed and dried fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ¼ cup (34 g) lightly toasted pine nuts
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Water, if needed
Preparation:
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Place ¼ cup (60 ml) of the Garlic-Infused Oil and the lemon juice in your blender carafe first, followed by the parsley leaves and pine nuts. Pulse on and off until mixture begins to blend, then add remaining oil and process until smooth, scraping down blender as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper (it will most likely need a fair amount of salt - don’t skimp on the salt)!
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If the pesto is too thick, you can add a tiny bit of water. What I prefer to do is leave it as is, and then when I am about to use it, I will thin it with a little pasta cooking water (if making pasta) or hot water at that time.
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Pesto is ready to use, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes:
Tips
- The point of this pesto is that pesto is so beloved and yet, so often we think of it as a fresh basil/summer recipe. Great quality parsley is available year round and this recipe shows you how to take advantage of this fresh herb.
- We like to store our fresh parsley by placing it in a glass of water, at room temperature, and covering it loosely with a plastic bag.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
This is a great alternative to basil pesto – I quite often make it with baby spinach leaves instead. Great to have any time of the year!
That sounds delicious! Totally agree about having some pesto at hand year-round. Just always bear in mind that any changes mean that you make to a recipe mean you have to re-calculate FODMAP load.