Low Calorie Pesto

Pesto is the classic Italian mix of fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. To cut back on the calories, this recipe uses stock instead of olive oil, but it still retains all the flavour.

Fantastic stirred into pasta, it's also great added to sandwiches or a topping for a baked potato. 

The following recipe makes pesto that will coat 120g pasta for two people.

Ingredients

• a small bunch of basil leaves. Washed and roughly chopped

• half a clove of garlic. Peeled and finely chopped or half a teaspoon of dried garlic granules

• 10g of pine nuts. Lightly toasted in a dry frying pan for 2-3 minutes.

• 20g of parmesan

• 2-3 tablespoons of warm chicken stock (or veggie if you prefer)

• a squeeze of lemon juice

• Salt & black pepper to taste

Method

1. Blitz the basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts together with a hand blender or food processor.
2. Empty into a small bowl and stir in the parmesan.
3. Add the stock, one spoon at a time, until the pesto forms a creamy consistency.
4. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste and serve.