Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

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Roasting peppers is one of my favorite things. I love the smell of peppers cooking almost as much as garlic. You know what is even better than roasting peppers, buying them already roasted in a jar! However you get your roasted red peppers, get them in a food processor with these other ingredients and make this red pepper pesto ASAP!

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Ingredients

1 cup packed basil leaves
2 large red peppers – roasted
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Start by roasting your red peppers. See my How to Roast Red Peppers post.

Once it’s roasted and cooled, you can take the skin off and cut it into strips.

Get the basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan into a food processor.

Add your roasted red pepper.

Blend until everything is chopped up and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the processor is running. Once you get a sauce-like consistency, stop the processor and give it a taste. Add salt and red pepper flakes to your desired taste.

Red Pepper Pesto Ingredient Substitutions

I wanted to include some pesto substitution ideas if your grocery store doesn’t have any of the listed ingredients.

• If you can’t find fresh basil, try kale or spinach, or even arugula!
• Pinenuts are pretty expensive, so if you want to save money, you can absolutely try almonds or walnuts instead.
• If you can’t find fresh red peppers to roast, or if you just don’t feel like roasting them, you can usually find the jarred ones by the olives and pickles or sometimes in the Italian foods section.

Helpful Cookware

For this pesto recipe, the only thing I use is a quality food processor. To make a big batch, I recommend at least a 6-cup food processor. But for smaller batches, like the one I made above, a small 2-cup mini food processor will work just fine! 

How to Store Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

You can make a big batch of this pesto and store it in an air-tight container (I like mason jars!) for up to a week. 

You can also freeze pesto by pouring it into an ice cube tray and then storing the frozen cubes in an air-tight zip-top bag for up to 9 months. 

Ways to Use Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

My favorite way to use this roasted red pepper pesto is in this Red Pepper Pesto and Sausage Pasta recipe! But you can also use it in a few other ways!

• As a pizza sauce with sausage and fresh mozzarella (and a few extra fresh basil leaves!)
• Substitute it as a spread on a salami sandwich (or a grilled chicken sandwich!)
• An appetizer dip with crostini
• Dollop a few spoonfuls into a quiche with spinach and asparagus
• It’s a great sauce for a pasta salad because it’s also delicious cold  Print

  Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

  This easy and delicious red pepper pesto uses just a few fresh ingredients and a food processor. Use it on pasta, as a sandwich spread, or even as pizza sauce! Prep Time 45 minutesTotal Time 50 minutes Servings 4

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup packed basil leaves
  • 2 large red peppers roasted
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Salt
  • Red pepper flakes optional

  Instructions

  • Start by roasting your red peppers. Place them on a foil-lined baking sheet at 400-degrees. Flip after 15 minutes and roast until they begin to char and blacken. Place them in a covered bowl or closed zip-top bag for 15 minutes. Remove the skins and seeds. Chop them into large strips.
  • Place the roasted red pepper strips, basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil into a food processor. Pulse to combine and then mix on high for 30 seconds. Drizzle in more olive oil if needed to get your preferred consistency.