This low-fat pesto spaghetti squash is easy to make with basic ingredients and makes the perfect low-calorie vessel for all your favourite add-ins. It’s delicious with extras like steamed broccoli and diced peppers but if you don’t feel like adding anything, it’s just perfect on its own too.

Low Fat Pesto Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash with chopped peppers and broccoli.
Spaghetti squash with pesto sauce on it.

Low Fat Pesto Sauce

The low-fat pesto sauce for this recipe is created with soft tofu, basil, spinach, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon and salt. Easy!

Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts and olive oil so while it’s wonderful, it’s quite high in fat. I would love to add spoonful after spoonful of that kind of pesto to everything but I’d be going way overboard on calories.

This low fat pesto sauce gives me that pesto fix without going crazy on calories.

Nutritional Yeast For Flavour

I use nutritional yeast in this pesto sauce to add a nutty, cheesy flavour along with added protein and fortified B12, two nutrients those eating a plant-based diet should take into consideration. Use the 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast in the recipe and then feel free to sprinkle more on top!

Perfect Food Prep

I make this pesto dressing often as part of my weekly food prep. It goes with pretty much everything, tastes great and is super low in calories considering the flavour it delivers. I like keep a stash in the fridge for adding to meals all week.

A Note on the Texture

Because this pesto dressing doesn’t contain any nuts or oils, it’s much lighter and not as chunky as traditional pesto. It’s more of a dressing or sauce than a true pesto but it certainly delivers on pesto flavour!

Soft Tofu??

I used soft tofu in place of oil in this recipe. It adds a nice, creamy texture and some protein to the recipe.

Spaghetti squash noodles in half a spaghetti squash with pesto sauce.

How to Use This Low Fat Pesto

My favourite way to eat it this sauce is mixed with spaghetti squash, steamed broccoli and diced peppers. Some diced red onion in there is good too!

Here are a few other ways to use it:

  • over steamed broccoli
  • scooped onto a bowl of zoodles
  • mixed with roasted vegetables
  • on top of tofu scramble
  • spread on a piece of toast
  • add to my Healthy Vegan Breakfast Burritos
  • spread it on sandwiches and wraps
  • used as salad dressing
  • use as a dip for raw veggies or crackers
  • mix with rice or quino
  • on top of sautéed kale
  • added it mashed chickpeas or to hummus 

The basil pesto flavour really comes through so if you love pesto, it’s a great way to sneak that amazing pesto flavour into recipes without adding many calories.

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Spaghetti squash noodles in half a spaghetti squash with pesto sauce.

Low Fat Pesto Spaghetti Squash

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  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings
  • Category: Condiment
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: Vegan
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Description

Enjoy this low fat pesto sauce over roasted veggies, tofu scramble, spread in a wrap or mixed with baked spaghetti squash broccoli and peppers for a satisfying, low fat and low carb meal.


Ingredients

For the Pesto Spaghetti Squash

  • 1 medium baked spaghetti squash
  • 1 crown, approx. 4 cups, chopped broccoli, steamed

For the Low Fat Pesto Sauce

  • 6 cups (550 g) fresh spinach
  • 1/2 package (150 g) soft tofu
  • 1 bunch or package of (50 g, approx. 1 cup lightly packed) fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. To bake the spaghetti squash, follow these instructions for how to make spaghetti squash.
  2. If you’re making the pesto spaghetti squash with broccoli, add the cooked spaghetti squash noodles and steamed broccoli to a large bowl.
  3. To make the low-fat pesto sauce, add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor blender and mix until smooth. Do not over mix, it should be a bit chunky.
  4. Either mix the pesto with the baked spaghetti squash and broccoli or store in the fridge to use as a dip or sauce for other dishes and salads.

Notes

Nutrition Facts are an approximation for 1/6 of the full recipe, or about a 300 gram serving, including broccoli, red pepper, pesto and a medium spaghetti squash. Nutrition facts will vary slightly depending on the size of your squash.

Nutrition facts for the entire batch of pesto are 297 calories with 18.5 grams of carbohydrates, 7.5 grams of fat and 29 grams of protein. Depending on what you’re using it for, the entire batch makes 4 large 88 gram servings of 75 calories each (4.6C/1.9F/7.3P).


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
  • Calories: 112 calories
  • Fat: 1.3 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 20.5 grams
  • Fiber: 6 grams
  • Protein: 7.4 grams