Roasted red pepper pesto

Having already declared my everlasting love for pesto in a previous post on dairy-free pistachio pesto, I’ll spare you the repetition – but rest assured, that I love this roasted red pepper pesto just as much as any green pesto. It’s so incredibly good!

If basil isn’t your thing – or you just have a mission to try any pesto imaginable (not saying that indeed, THAT is my secret life mission, but…) you should really try this one.

The roasted red pepper pesto is sweet and mellow and absolutely wonderful with so many things!

Some ideas on ways to enjoy the pesto

• eat as a condiment to your meals
• in pasta dishes, on pizza and in burgers
• with anything egg (it’s ridiculously good with fried eggs, scrambled eggs, etc.)
• with tostones (unripe plantain, sliced and fried twice)
• as a spread on bread and wraps
• in salad dressings
• used plain as a dip for vegetables and crackers
• as a marinade for chicken and fish
• mixed in things like meatloaf, hummus, mashed potatoes, baked goods (bread and crackers), etc.

There’s so many yummy ways to incorporate the pesto in your cooking!

Roasting bell peppers turn them soft, creamy and sweet and it’s super easy to do at home! I’ve written a blog post on how to go about it – ‘Roasted bell peppers – easy oven method‘).

Roasted red pepper pesto

With it’s sweet and mellow flavor, roasted red pepper pesto is guaranteed to be a hit among both kids and adults. A yummy alternative to green pesto!

Servings 2 C / 500 ml

Ingredients

• 3 large roasted red, orange or yellow bell peppers (roasted bell peppers – easy oven method)
• 1 C + 4 tbsp / 200 g toasted almonds
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 C + 1 tbsp / 200 ml mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast (you can substitute 4 tbsp / 36 g toasted pine nuts for nutritional yeast)
• 1 1/2-2 tsp fine grain pink Himalayan salt or sea salt (I used 2 tsp)
• 1 tsp ground sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or 1-2 tbsp Whole30 friendly date sweetener – the sweetener is just used to balance the flavors of the pesto and should only be used if the roasted peppers aren’t naturally sweet enough

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend into a creamy, smooth pesto – this usually takes a couple of minutes (I like a little bit of texture too, but feel free to adjust the processing time according to your texture preference).
2. Taste the pesto – anything missing? Many tend to undersalt their pesto, making it taste not nearly as good, as it could have done with adequate salt added. Salt is a flavor enhancer after all! If you’re unsure of how much salt you find palatable, I always recommend, that you start out adding half the suggested amount and season to your taste as you make the recipe.
3. Enjoy the pesto with all the food!

STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE

1. Store the pesto in the fridge for 7-10 days or several months in the freezer.

Do you want to print the recipe for roasted red pepper pesto? I’ve got you!