A couple weeks ago, I shared one of my favorite recipes from our recent vacation out West, and after receiving inquiries about some of the other pack + go foods that kept us fueled during the long days of hiking, today I am sharing with you one of my new favorite condiments that single-handedly transformed what could have been boring bag lunches into flavor-infused gourmet fare.
While I was preparing food for our travels, I tried to think of a flavorful spread to use on sandwiches that would keep well in a cooler or daypack. I was going to whip up a batch of traditional basil pesto when I realized I made that for our previous weekend trip up North and thought it might get a little boring after a few days. Since Kashmir and I love our spicy foods, I decided to craft a very non-boring roasted red pepper pesto with some bold southwestern flavors (and almost everything but the kitchen sink). What I absolutely love about this pesto isn’t just the fact that it was an experiment {concocted at 2 o’clock in the morning}, or the fact that it turned out AMAZING…but that just like a basil pesto, it is incredibly versatile. On vacation, we used it as a spread on grilled chicken sandwiches, but it’s a great base for dips, dressings and marinades, can be turned into a compound butter to use on top of fish or steak, makes a fantastic pizza or pasta sauce and perfectly complements a variety of appetizers {one of which I will share later this week…so stay tuned}.
This pesto is also incredibly easy to make, so don’t let the long list of ingredients fool you. Simply pop everything into a small food processor and let it do the work! {I personally love my mini Ninja container for sauces like this.} You can definitely tweak the seasonings to your taste–I added a little more chipotle powder and used an entire jalapeño when I made this batch, but not everyone enjoys that much heat…so use your own judgement. Speaking of the heat–I used a pickled jalapeño from a jar I happened to have left over from the copious amounts of peppers I harvested from the garden this summer, and I liked the idea of adding a little brininess to the pesto, but a fresh or roasted jalapeño would certainly work (with or without seeds depending on how hot you want to make it). I also had a jar of minced giardiniera in the fridge, so like almost everything else in this pesto…I figured, why not toss that in too?! It’s completely unnecessary, though I have to admit it was a tasty addition. Ultimately, this pesto is just a product of a bunch of ingredients I already had that I thought might work well together…and the result was even more delicious than I imagined! It keeps well in the fridge for up to 6 weeks (just add a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent oxidation and maintain maximum freshness) or you can freeze it for up to 6 months. It’s a great condiment just to have on hand, so mix up your own batch and let me know how you decide to make good use of it!
Southwestern Red Pepper Pesto
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
Nutrition
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