Red Pepper Pesto Pasta
This is an easy vegetarian pasta dish made with jarred roasted red peppers. You can use the real thing and roast your own peppers, but I opted for a shortcut here, especially since I found a great deal on imported roasted red peppers. I created this mainly for my son. He is a pasta fanatic, and crazy about olives. He isn’t crazy about spaghetti sauce though, and leaves most of the sauce on his plate, so I used a red sauce that was nutritious and would stick to the noodles well. It was a hit with him and my husband. I found my son the next morning eating it straight from the fridge, before I could even get in the kitchen and make him something for breakfast. I guess he already knew what he wanted.
I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. We are going to Cocoa Beach tomorrow to attend a charity surfing event. The waves here have been huge because of Hurricane Earl. We are hoping Earl dies down and isn’t a threat to our friends to the north, and thankful we were spared from this first big hurricane of the season by a good sized cold front. Have a beautiful Labor Day weekend.
Yield: Serves 4
Red Pepper Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
1 package Angel Hair Pasta, or other pasta of your choice, about 12 oz
1 can 6 oz black olives, cut in halves
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained, 14.5 oz
1/4 cup fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
kosher salt
pepper
Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add red peppers, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and pine nuts to food processor.
Pulse until fine. Stream in olive oil while food processor is on. Add cheese and blend until combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add pasta to large bowl. Add olives and pesto. Mix well to combine. Serve with salad and fresh bread.