Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Recipe

The typical pesto is very intensely herbal, but in this variation, the basil gets toned down in favor of grilled bell peppers, which gives you a more smoky-sweet flavor.

It’s great for adding a little bit of the barbecue to something you cooked somewhere else or for intensifying the flavor of something you’ve already grilled.

This would be a very easy recipe to make ahead with almost no extra work. Just throw the peppers on the grill while you’re grilling something else, and then blend them up when you have a couple of minutes of “down time” in the kitchen or afterward before you clean everything up.

Then you can store your pesto in the fridge to use later that day or freeze it if you want to keep it for longer (don’t store it for long in the fridge; it’s still safe to eat, but the flavor really deteriorates).

Pesto is most famous as a pasta topping – which you can still actually have on Paleo; just substitute spaghetti squash for the noodles.

But don’t limit yourself to pasta recreations; it’s also very tasty and served over chicken, beef, or fish. Especially for lean meats, it adds a welcome dose of healthy fat to the mix, not to mention flavor.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Recipe

SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 min COOK: 8 min

Ingredients

• 6 red bell peppers;
• 4 tbsp. roasted pine nuts;
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped;
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped;
• ¼ cup olive oil;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper;

Preparation

1. Preheat your grill to medium-high and roast the bell peppers until browned;
2. Allow the peppers to cool down, then remove the skin and seeds of each pepper.
3. Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.
4. Adjust the seasoning and serve with your favorite meat option.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Recipe

Try this tasty variation of pesto with everything from Paleo noodles to your favorite grilled meats.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Total Time 23 mins

Course Jam

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 268 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 red bell peppers
• 4 tbsp. roasted pine nuts
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat your grill to medium-high and roast the bell peppers until browned
  6 red bell peppers
• Allow the peppers to cool down, then remove the skin and seeds of each pepper.
• Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth.
  4 tbsp. roasted pine nuts, 2 tbsp. fresh basil, 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, ¼ cup olive oil
• Adjust the seasoning and serve with your favorite meat option.
  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 4gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 507mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6294IUVitamin C: 235mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 2mg

Keyword pesto sauce, red pepper, roasted

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