Serves 4
You may or may not know that I’m working on a low fat cookbook. I was deeply concerned that this meant goodbye to some of my favorite dishes but with a few tricks, a lot of creativity and many hours searching thriftstores for 80s diet cookbooks, I’ve been able to keep myself satisfied and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing much.
For instance, no one should suffer a life without pesto, but a pesto without pinenuts or walnuts seems lifeless. So what’s a girl to do? Once again, it’s soybeans to the rescue! Edamame has just enough fat and texture to make a lighter healthier pesto work. It also makes the pesto at once bulky and creamy. It’s a miracle, really. Oh, little soybean, what can’t you do?
In this dish I’ve sauteed some mushrooms for meatiness and red onions for a little tinge of sweetness. But you can use edamame pesto as a dip or as a topping for a baked potatoes, or as a filling for lasagna, or anywhere else that pesto would be appropriate. It’s really easy and versatile, too. It may not taste exactly like the super oily pesto we all know and love, but it tastes pretty darn good and it’s got a fraction of the fat so it won’t leave you feeling like you’re about to give birth to a pesto baby. Did I just ruin your appetite forever?
For the edamame pesto:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves
Handful (1/4 cup or so) fresh cilantro
14 oz package shelled edamame, thawed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
optional: 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
For the pasta:
10 oz spinach linguine or other pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
Small red onion, in thinly sliced half moons
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra basil for garnish
Cooking spray
Put on a pot of salted water to boil. Then prepare the pesto:
Place garlic and basil in food processor and pulse a few times to get it chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add a little more vegetable broth if it seems too stiff. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat a large pan over medium heat. At this point your pasta water should be ready, so add the linguine.
Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes. Use a little cooking spray as needed, or a splash of water if you prefer. Mix in mushrooms, garlic, thyme and salt. Cover pot and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
The pasta should be ready now, so drain it.
When the mushrooms have cooked down, add pasta to the pan, along with the pesto. Use a pasta spoon to stir and coat the linguine. Get everything good and mixed and the pesto heated through, about 3 minutes. The pesto should be relatively thick, but if it’s too thick (not spreading out and coating the pasta) add a few tablespoons of water. Taste for salt.
Serve immediately, garnished with a little fresh chopped basil.
Genius! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks amazing and will be great for my two fave vegans and their annoying nut allergy, kidding about the annoying part of course.
Wow, that is so creative! I’ll never had edamame before (gasp), but this makes me want to at least give it a try.
This sounds worth trying. Yummy. I do love those little edamames, they’re awesome.
I am so excited for your new book! i don’t think i’m alone, either 🙂 this sounds amazing! i still haven’t found anything i can’t do with the almighty soybean!
That sounds incredible. I love edamame, and I would eat this even if it had a cup of oil in it. hooray!
This looks amazing! I love the idea of being able to eat pesto without having to limit myself to a tiny amount because I am worried about all the fat. Can’t wait to try it!
This looks and sounds great; I will definitely be trying it. I also copied The Mex Snickerdoodle recipe and emailed it to myself so I won’t forget to make them.
I couple of weeks ago my daughter and I made your chocolate cupcakes and icing, and want to try the cookies and cream version next. We are not vegan, are vegetarian, but trying to edge toward having more vegan meals. Our church has recently started an Ethical Eating group and several of the families are vegan or are doing a several week vegan challenge. My daughter’s birthday falls on the weekend of a church campout and I would like to bring b’day cupcakes that all the kids can eat. Do you think that these cupcakes would be okay unrefrigerated for 8-10 hours before they are eaten?
Thanks a lot! (I just subscribed to your great blog.)
Anita
Ahh this is such a wonderful pesto recipe, it really sounds delicious…no pine nuts in it also makes this a slightly more cost effective sauce! heheheh
Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
P.s. I’m hosting a ZenSoy pudding and soy milk giveaway, so hope you stop by if you’re interested! 🙂 Happy hump day!!
One word “YUM!”
oh my goodness, i want to get all up in that pesto!
I’ve made homemade pesto for the first time a few days ago, and loved it. I’d be curious to try it with edamame: it sounds fabulous! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Yay pesto! I’d love to test for a low fat vegan cookbook!!!
So excited about a low-fat vegan cookbook!! Are you going to put nutritional information for all the recipes included? It’d be rad if you did!
That is such a beautiful green! I’m so excited about the book and this recipe.
You must be some kind of ingenious sorceress… I would have *never* thought of making pesto out of edamame, but it makes so much sense! 😀
Oh yeah!
This sounds incredible! Straight into my Google Notebook you go.
Sweet! I am really looking forward to your book.
I made this for dinner for my non-vegan family tonight and everyone loved it!
I doubled the mushrooms though, only because I’m a mushroom fiend!
Great recipe, will make again, thank you!!
Thanks so much for working on a low-fat book! I hate to have to eat low-fat, but my finicky stomach usually demands it. I love your recipes, and when the new book comes out, it’ll have a home on my shelf. 🙂
And when the new cookie book comes out, it’s mine too — sometimes my stomach just has to deal. 😉
Wow that looks really great. I am really excited for all your cookbooks and I’m sure the low-fat cookbook won’t disappoint. Your awesome!
Soybeans really are amazing, aren’t they? I never would have thought to make a pesto with them, though. This looks AMAZING! Such a beautiful picture.
A while back I whirred some edamame into my pesto in an attempt to get more green into my kids. It was delicious, but it still didn’t solve the high fat issue. Thank you for your wonderful recipe. I am going to try it on the family this week. It sounds positively fantastic.
Jenn @ rookno17.blogspot.com
Edamame pesto? That’s an awesome idea! I can’t wait to try this recipe.
This sounds so good. I am not keen on pasta but I bet I could substitute the pasta for zucchini peels and it would be equally as good. I would also increase the mushrooms because I am a fiend like Jess.
edamame, cilantro and nooch? and is that a mushroom i see? sign me up!!! i want, i want, i want
Just finished a plate hepaed high with this and it was AMAZING! Thanks so much for the recipe, it’s going to be repeated often.. and my husband’s verdict: ‘one of the best things i’ve eaten this year’.
OMG! I made this pesto tonight for my family and it was a HUGE hit! Pesto is one of my favorite things to eat, but I stay away from it because of all the fat. If the rest of the recipes are as good as this one, PLEASE hurry and finish the cookbook! BTW- nooch is NEVER optional!
That sounds incredible thanks for the recipe
Wow, that is so creative
Seconding the nutritional information request! The only reason I didn’t buy the cookie book is that my clothes don’t fit anymore, so a low-fat cookbook with your stamp on it = heaven.
Especially if there is a dessert section…
This sounds great – definitely worth a try. Thanks for the recipe
Looks great, and I admire your creativity!
Isa~I just wanted to let you know that I made this recipe last night and it was fantastic. It was amazing because something in it (maybe the edamame) mimicked the little bit of crunchiness that comes from the pine nuts in the pesto. I loved this recipe and had it again as leftovers for lunch today. Thanks! Can’t wait for the low fat cookbook.
This recipe is SO delicious! But you know that already. Just thought I’d give you more props, though. I just bought the edamame and basil to make another batch, and I can’t wait!
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This is so delicious! Made it last night with pasta, and am eating it today as a pesto dip with pita chips. YUM! It has a freshness and lightness that is more appealing than regular pesto…and I am a pesto lover! Thank you!
This by far the best recipe I’ve ever tried. I want to rub the pesto on my body–that GOOD! LOL. Thanks for the awesome recipe. I have all of your books except for the Appetite for Reduction. Going to but it right now… THANKS!
This was SO yummy!!! And I can’t wait to try the pesto in different recipes – thank you, thank you, thank you!