I will admit it. I was surprised at how tasty this roasted pepper pesto turned out to be. I figured it would be good. It does contain roasted peppers, garlic (lots!), thyme, shallot, and Parmesan cheese, after all. But when I got that first bite in my mouth, my first thought was that this pesto is something I would pay lots of money for in a restaurant. The beauty of it is that you can enjoy this delicious roasted red pepper pesto in the comfort of your own home, and at a fraction of the price.
If you've never roasted your own peppers at home, you'll be surprised at how easy it is. We roasted ours on the outdoor grill, but you can just as easily roast them in your oven under the broiler. You simply put the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast them under the broiler, when the skin gets charred and black, turn and roast the next portion, keep turning until the skin is charred and black all the way around. Place the peppers in a bowl of water or in a bowl covered with a plate and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Then you simply peel the blackened skin off. Taking this step to roast the peppers gives the pesto a wonderful smoky flavor.
You can serve this yummy roasted red pepper pesto with any pasta of your choosing. When serving with pasta, it does help to reserve about four tablespoons of the pasta water and stir that in with the pesto and pasta. The starch in the water will help the pesto to be evenly distributed throughout.
You also might want to think about using it as a condiment in your favorite sandwich or on a burger. Yum!
Watch this video to see how easy this wonderful roasted pepper pesto is to make:
I hope you enjoy this simple and delicious roasted red pepper pesto!
Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
Equipment
- food processor
- Skillet
- grill (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers
- 3 cloves garlic
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 small shallot chopped coarse
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme minced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Roasted Peppers
- If using a grill, turn on grill and heat to about 350°F (177° C). Add peppers and grill until skin is charred and bubbly on surface, turn peppers and keep grilling until charred on all sides. If using oven, adjust oven rack to 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Spread peppers out over aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and broil until skin is charred and puffed but flesh is still firm, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through cooking.Transfer peppers to large bowl filled with water, and allow to sit submerged for about 10 minutes. Remove peppers and peel and discard skin; set peppers aside.
Pesto
- Toast garlic in 8-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened and spotty brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When garlic is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skins.Add roasted peppers, garlic, oil, parsley, shallot, and thyme in food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to small bowl, stir in Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional information provided is for one serving and is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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