I am looking for a light sauce for pasta, chicken or vegetables.  My husband hates pesto so nothing in that family.  Anyone have some ideas?

Here's my favorite: heat some olive oil and sautee some minced garlic one minute on medium.  Add some white wine (maybe 1/3 cup) and reduce.  Add other herbs if you like- I like chopped chives and parsley, but anything will work- tarragon is good, as is dill.  Reduce to about half and toss in pasta and whatever else you have.  Add salt and pepper and garnish with some fresh grated parmigiano reggiano.  This is great with chicken or shrimp along with pasta!  If you like tomatoes, you can also add some chopped fresh, or even some canned diced tomatoes would be good.  If you don't do wine, just substitute chicken broth- it works just as well.

  I also like to do one very close to yours Lesley H, but no white wine, and just a bit of parm  you can even add equal amounts of heavy cream (or whipping cream) and parmesan cheese to create an alfredo tasting sauce.