Healthy Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Recipe

Preheat the oven to 392°F/200°C.

Rinse ½ bulb of garlic and wipe it dry. Leave the skin on and the bulbs intact.

Using a sharp knife, cut off the tail ends (about ¼ inch) of the garlic cloves. This exposes the individual cloves in the head of garlic.

Cut out a small sheet of aluminum foil. Place the garlic with cut side facing up. Drizzle olive oil on the exposed cloves and loosely wrap the foil around the garlic bulb.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place 2 large red bell peppers and the foil packet on the sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven.

Cover the roasted peppers with a large glass bowl.

After 5 minutes, open and peel the peppers. Remove the seeds, reserving the juices. Roughly chop the peppers.

Peel or squeeze out the garlic cloves.

Roughly chop or halve ¼ cup walnuts. Toast them in a small pan on low heat until lightly browned.

Place the chopped red peppers (along with the juices) in a food processor. Add garlic, toasted walnuts, 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, ¼ cup parsley, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon sea salt.

Blend coarsely. While the processor is running, slowly drizzle 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Keep blending until you get the desired consistency. You can either make this pesto chunky or blend all the way into a smooth sauce.

Toss it with pasta (260 grams/ 9 ounces dry pasta for 4 servings).

You can use this red pepper pesto in many other ways.

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary