Southwestern Red Pepper Pesto

(1 rating)

A versatile spicy southwestern condiment that adds bold flavor to sandwiches, pasta, appetizers + more!

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Yield cups

Total Time 10

Ingredients

2 large roasted red peppers, chopped (I love Mediterranean Organic)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced/smashed
½ cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
1 lime, juiced
½ pickled jalapeño pepper (fresh/roasted works too)
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp smoked sea salt (or regular sea salt)
¼ tsp black pepper fresh cracked
¼ tsp chipotle powder (optional)
1 Tbsp hot giardiniera, minced (optional)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a mini food processor and blend until completely combined.
Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or spices if desired.

Notes

Yields approximately 1½ cups.
Keeps well in fridge for up to 6 weeks (if there's any space in the jar, add a thin layer of olive oil on top of pesto to maximize freshness); freeze for up to 6 months.
If you don't have a jar of roasted red peppers on hand, you can roast your own! {Char the skin on a grill, atop a gas range, or under the broiler in the oven. Once the skin is blackened, place it in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for about 5 mins to allow the skin to pull away from the pepper. Then peel the charred skin off and discard, remove the seeds and follow the rest of the recipe.}
The uses for this pesto are endless! Here are some of my favorites:
- Spread on grilled chicken sandwiches
- Layered with cream cheese/goat cheese/ricotta on top of crostini for a simple appetizer
- Dressing or Marinade - for vinaigrette/marinade, add ¼ cup lime juice or apple cider vinegar (or 2 Tbsp of each) and ¼ cup olive oil to ½ cup prepared pesto; for creamy salad dressing, use1 cup mayonnaise (or ½ cup mayo + ½ cup greek yogurt), ¼ cup lime juice or apple cider vinegar (or 2 Tbsp of each), and 2 Tbsp maple syrup per ½ cup pesto; for southwestern ranch dressing, simply mix ½ cup prepared pesto with ¾ cup store bought/prepared ranch dressing
- Use in place of tomato-based sauce on pizza
- Mixed with Greek yogurt to create a dip for veggies or chips {1 cup plain Greek yogurt per ¼ cup prepared pesto, salt + pepper to taste}
- Tossed with roasted vegetables (i.e. potatoes or carrots) to create a flavorful side dish
- On it's own or mixed with cream cheese/coconut cream to make a delicious pasta sauce {¼ cup cream cheese/coconut cream plus ¼-½ cup pasta water per ½ cup prepared pesto; simmer until reduced slightly, approximately 2-3 minutes}
- Create a compound butter {2 Tbsp pesto per stick (½ cup) of unsalted butter} to spread on dinner rolls or top a steak or grilled fish.
- Get creative! Swap it in for traditional basil pesto in nearly any recipe. If you make this, I'd love to hear what your favorite uses for it are!
Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian's Poblano Pesto - Food Network

Nutritional info below is estimated per ~2 Tbsp serving using an online nutrition calculator.

Prep Time 5

Total Time 10

CourseSauce

CuisineSouthwestern

KeywordVegetarian

Recipe by: Bites of Life

Nutrition