This recipe for garlic creamy pesto pasta without cream is a great way to enjoy a smooth pesto without having to use milk or heavy cream.
Great For Kids With Texture Issues
My son has a texture issue with food.
It seems like it’s something that just started, but the more I think about it, he’s been this way for quite a while.
He’s not big on eating chicken on the bone, steak, hard-to-eat or gritty foods. It’s nothing extraordinary or worrisome since many kids have food aversions.
He’s a big fan of my hamburger steak recipe, and will even eat our homemade hamburger helper.
While he can be adventurous when told what’s in a food, like sushi, that food better be smooth, silky, and delicious.
Way Smoother Than Regular Pesto
He’s tried regular pesto before and wasn’t too keen on it, so I wanted to create a new smooth and creamy pesto recipe for him.
Did I also mention that he’s lactose intolerant?
I couldn’t use real cream to make this new pesto, but I had a cool idea of how to make it smooth and creamy, without cream.
Here is an easy garlic creamy pesto recipe, with no cream.
Super Simple Ingredients
These are the ingredients. It’s the usual suspects for pesto:
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
- fresh garlic
- nuts of choice
- green leafy vegetables (we use spinach)
While basil is usually used in pesto, I went with fresh spinach.
It contains lots of calcium and was a dollar a bag that week. I also went with walnuts, since that’s what I had in the fridge.
Hey, let’s keep it frugal, right? I did toast the nuts just a bit in a nonstick skillet before adding them to the ingredients.
How To Make Garlic Creamy Pesto
Mince 4 cloves of garlic. This recipe is meant to have a prevalent garlic flavor, but you can cut this down to 2 cloves, if 4 is too much.
Place all of the ingredients in your blender. Yes, I said blender.
If you want a really smooth pesto sauce that will coat your pasta (or gnocchi or whatever) really well, the blender is key.
The Secret To The Sauce
Now here is the trick: Set blender to low and let the ingredients mix together.
Take half a cup of HOT water, and pour it slowly into the blender as you turn the machine to medium speed.
The hot water will emulsify the cheese and activate the smoothness of the olive oil.
Those two will create a creamy, silky sauce that will provide a smooth mouth-feel.
The pesto will taste creamy, but without actually using cream!
If you are serving this over pasta, use the hot pasta water. Also, you can up the flavor by using hot chicken or vegetable stock.
Easy Pesto Sauce Means Happy Mom and Kids
Toss the garlic creamy pesto with a pound cooked pasta, and serve immediately.
Kids who will eat anything, like my girl, will end up looking like this:
While your “selective” eaters, like my boy, will end up looking like this:
I’d call this recipe a win-win.
Garlic Creamy Pesto (with no cream)
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh basil or spinach
4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 2 cloves for light garlic flavor)
1/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (or whatever nuts you have on hand)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup very hot water
Instructions:
Place all ingredients, except the hot water, in the blender. Turn blender on low.
While mixture is blending, slowly pour in the hot water. Once it’s all incorporated, turn the blender to medium and let blend for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth.
Taste sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
Toss finished sauce with cooked pasta, or serve over a protein of your choice. Serve immediately.
Garlic Creamy Pesto (without cream)
This garlic creamy pesto pasta is made without cream! You have to check out this genius way to make this cheap and healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil or spinach
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 2 cloves for light garlic flavor)
- 1/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped (or whatever nuts you have on hand)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup very hot water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients, except the hot water, in the blender.
- Turn blender on low. While mixture is blending, slowly pour in the hot water.
- Once it’s all incorporated, turn the blender to medium and let blend for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth.
- Taste sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss finished sauce with al dente pasta, or drizzle over a protein of your choice.
- Serve immediately.
I love making my own pesto, since we use it on everything! I’ll definitely need to try this recipe sometime.
I LOVE pesto. Thanks for such a fantastic recipe. It’s one of my favorite things to make b/c it’s so full of flavor and super easy to make
I have never made pesto before. It looks really easy and delicious. Plus I love ways to eat spinach. Thanks for sharing!
I have always talked about trying to make my own pesto – this just inspired me to give it a try. It sounds really easy to do.
I’ve only had pesto once in my life and it was amazing. I don’t know why I haven’t had it more often. I guess I didn’t realize how easy it was to make! I need to get this made for my family!
Love love love this recipe, thanks for adding it to your page. Was just curious about this sentence did you mean for it read chicken stock or vegetable stock ?
You can use either, Armissa. If you don’t mind using chicken stock, then I would suggest using it since it has such a deep flavor. Vegetable stock would work too, or just plain hot water.
This is perfect for lactose intolerant people. I appreciate this recipe!
P.S. Did you know cheese that has been aged 6 months or more loses its lactose? It does.
Thank you!
I didn’t know it was that amount of time! Thank you for that tip, Ray!