Arugula-Cilantro Pesto with Yogurt
I have a lot of admiration for those who can whip up some delicious meal with just the ingredients from their fridge and pantry. My pantry is relatively well-stocked, but my refrigerator is almost always devoid of anything useful. A few containers of week old take-out food, bits and pieces of wilted veggies, yogurt-eggs-butter-cheese-etc with very dubious expiry dates and lots n’ lots of beer – these are the staples in my fridge.
So home alone one day when just the thought of fixing myself up and getting out of the house was dreadful, I decided to just “whip something up” with the ingredients in hand. I opened the fridge to find some arugula and cilantro, both of which looked acceptably fresh and a tub of yogurt way within the expiration date. Pesto was what came to mind immediately. I had never made pesto without cheese, but that was not going to stop me, only substitution I could think of was the yogurt. Yogurt + Garlic + Pine nuts + Greens + Seasonings, I knew that will make a great dipping sauce for sure, so how bad could it be in pasta? So I decided to just try it and see how it turns out. If it is a disaster, nobody has to know and in case it turns out great I get a topic for a blog post.
So, what is the verdict? Well, as you might have guessed from the mere fact that I am blogging about the dish, it actually turned out pretty good. The bitterness of Arugula and the tanginess of the yogurt kind of balanced each other out. Low-fat yogurt is definitely a healthier option than cheese and since the yogurt helps the pesto stick to the pasta, I didn’t have to use as much oil as I’d normally use. Altogether a keeper recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed baby arugula (rocket)
- 1/2 cup packed cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- 2 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red chili flakes to taste
Method
Place the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse to chop. Add arugula , cilantro, yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil and process until smooth. Add the salt and pepper and red chili flakes and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
To Serve: Cook the pasta according to directions on the package and drain well. Toss the warm pasta with pesto till well-coated.
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these are always the best dishes. yogurt is quite a great idea. i’ve often used ricotta in pestos.
nice going – so, now hand me a cool beer please!
i actually hate cheese in pasta. err… not for taste but its effect on my waistline
u have given me brillient idea of using yogurt sig. i owe u one 
Yes): 
Beer):
The butter in my fridge is way beyond dubious – it must be at least 3 years old, thankfully, there’s just a small lump left now.
Didn’t the yogurt go all watery when you put it in the processor?
Using yogurt is such a fabulous idea… i may try this by subbing mint for arugula.
Fab idea girl
This is like an ‘aha!!’ moment eh? Yogurt is a nice idea man. Especially since I do not always have cheese around. Lovely photo too!
Thats a great idea Sig. These days even my fridge is almost always empty and I feel lost. I am trying my best not to use cheese, still make pasta dishes. I will surely try this.
woo new pasta dish out of arugula?..sounds interesting sig..creative and innovative…loved ur all dish as usual..
Refrigerator stocked with beer qualifies as a well stocked fridge
“The bitterness of Arugula and the tanginess of the yogurt kind of balanced each other out.”
my..my…someone has been watching Food shows a lil bit too much
..looks great…love the color…
u sure stock up on arugula, don’t u
yogurt based pesto sounds good & looks good!
I am not a big fan of arugula. But this recipe may convert me. Sounds great. Bookmarked!
YooHoo, my kinda’ pasta! Totally yummy! i am so loving the idea of yogurt cilantro combination!
I should try yoghurt in pestos too..Loks gorgeous..
Now, that’s what I call a neat idea
Yes):
Very different- I like:)
I found some arugula here… now I shall run to the shop and get coriander
and this is my lunch tomorrow afternoon for sure.
i found your recipe while searching for an arugula pesto on google…
i tried out your idea, but i didn’t measure anything properly – just eyeballed everything. i also added some rosemary, and omitted the pine nuts (because i didn’t have any) and crushed red peppers (because it was already really spicy).
i think i also ended up using significantly more yogurt… the yogurt was an excellent choice on your part; i’ve never made a pesto with yogurt before, but this pesto has the most appealing texture with the least threatening fat content. since i am lactose intolerant, i substituted with soy yogurt, which worked really well… thank you for helping me learn that soy yogurt can make a good raw sauce for pasta! i really never would’ve made that association.
i applaud your creativity; the whole premise of this sauce is perfect – a spicy arugula yogurt pesto with cilantro to brighten up the flavor. it’s rich, spicy, and smooth, and i’m a big fan.
thanks!
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