As much as we love homemade green pesto, this Roasted Red Pepper Pesto is a staple pasta sauce at home together with our veggie bolognese and our vegan creamy mushroom sauce. It's very easy to cook and it's nutritious so we make it quite often. Our toddler Luca loves it too, so it's a perfect meal for the whole family!
We add different nuts to it: Walnuts, almonds and pine nuts. We don't always have pine nuts at home, but it still tastes delicious with just walnuts and almonds. The almonds are previously roasted for around 8 minutes in the oven. They give the pesto a really unique flavour.
Ingredients
This Roasted Red Pepper Pesto is made with seven simple ingredients:
- Roasted Italian red pepper. We use Italian red pepper to make the roasted red pepper pesto as it tends to have a sweeter taste that we love. For a smoother pesto, peel the skin before blending.
- Sundried tomatoes. Red pesto cannot be made without sundried tomatoes. You want to look for the best quality ones that you can find as they are full of flavor. If you buy sundried tomatoes soaked in oil, you can use the same oil for this recipe.
- Walnuts, pine nuts and roasted almonds. This nut mix will give the red pesto a unique nutty flavour.
- Garlic. Both, red and green pesto are made with garlic, as it's an essential ingredient in Italian cuisine.
- Olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the best oil that can be used for this pesto.
How to make the perfect Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
It is so simple you cannot go wrong making this pesto. You will need to preheat the oven to roast the red pepper and the almonds briefly. Add the red pepper and when it has been cooking for 10 minutes add the almonds in the same oven tray. After 8 minutes you can take the pepper and almonds out.
Leave the pepper to cool and peel the skin. Add to a blender the pepper, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, garlic and olive oil and blend until you have a good consistency.
How to serve the Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
Roasted red pepper pesto is normally served as a pasta sauce. Cook your favorite pasta and add the pesto and fresh basil leaves on top for a delicious meal.
You can also serve it with bread or crackers. It is a perfect dip for antipasti or cheese boards.
Cook it in advance and leave it in the fridge. It will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 roasted Italian red pepper
- 6 sundried tomatoes
- A handful of almonds
- A handful of walnuts
- 1 teaspoon pine nuts
- ½ garlic clove
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the red pepper on an oven tray and bake for 20 minutes. When the pepper has been roasting for 10-12 minutes add the almonds. When both pepper and almonds are roasted, turn off the oven and take the tray out.
- Leave the red pepper to cool and peel the skin.
- Add into a blender the roasted pepper, roasted almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until you have the desired consistency. with salt
- Transfer the pesto into a jar, serve and enjoy.
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