Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

April 17, 2008

This is a tasty and surprisingly easy variation on traditional pesto if you have the ingredients. I’ve made it twice, once with freshly roasted red peppers, and once with jarred roasted peppers. Both were great, so don’t worry if you only have the jarred kind. It makes enough for one pound of pasta and takes about 20 minutes if your peppers are already roasted. This dish has great flavor and is worth the trouble to pick up the extra ingredients at the store.

You’ll need two red bell peppers, roasted and chopped (or one 12 oz jar), three cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, one shallot, one tablespoon of fresh thyme (or about a teaspoon of dried, which I used), salt and pepper. And of course you will also need some pasta - with ridges preferably (although I used plain spaghetti here, and it was still good).

Begin by putting a pot of water on high heat for the pasta. Then, place your three cloves of garlic, unpeeled, on a skillet over medium heat. You want to toast them until they are “spotty brown.” America’s Test Kitchen explains that toasting the garlic lessens its harsh raw taste and gives it a subtle, “nutty” flavor.

Go ahead and chop your peppers and shallot, then clean your parsely.

When the garlic is done, let it cool a little and peel it. Add everything (peppers, parsley, garlic, olive oil, parmesan, shallot, thyme, and salt and pepper for seasoning) to a food processor and process. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of when it was all in the blender, but you can imagine.

When your water is boiling (probably when the garlic is done toasting), add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. When the pasta is finished, save a little bit of the pasta water and add it as needed (you may not need all of it) to the pesto to loosen it up a little bit. I never know if there is a difference when pasta water is added to sauce. Books always recommend it, and it’s easy, but I am always a little skeptical if I can taste the difference. I need to try it both ways sometime. But anyway, the water will loosen the pesto here, which can be useful. Finally, toss the pesto with your pasta and your are ready to eat.

Preferences and Tips

• I used dried thyme both times instead of fresh. I’m not sure what sort of difference fresh will make.
• Using either fresh or jarred roasted red peppers will make a great pesto, so don’t worry if you don’t feel like roasting them yourself.

Printable Recipe

Equipment

• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Food Processor
• Measuring Cups
• Small Skillet
• Large Pot
• Spoon to stir pasta

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, roasted and chopped, or 1 12oz jar (rinsed)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
• Salt and Pepper

Recipe

1. Put water on heat to boil. Put 3 unpeeled cloves of garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Toast until spotty brown, approximately 5-7 minutes.
2. While the garlic is toasting, chop the roasted red peppers and the shallot. Clean the parsley.
3. Add pasta to water when boiling, follow directions on box. Remove the garlic and let cool, then peel.
4. Add everything to the food processor - red peppers, shallot, olive oil, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Process.
5. Toss a little bit (under 1/4 cup) of pasta water with the pesto to loosen it, then toss the pesto with the finished, drained pasta. Serve and enjoy.

This recipe is adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook: Revised Edition.

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