This easy Red Pepper Pesto is made with roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, Parmesan, fresh basil, and plenty of garlic, blended into a thick, spoonable sauce. Perfect for pasta, soup, sandwiches, and more. Ready in just 15 minutes in a food processor.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
👩🏻🍳 Recipe Name: Red Pepper Pesto
⏱️ Ready In: 15 minutes
🧑🧑🧒 Makes: about 1 ½ cups
🍴Calories: ~105 (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Roasted red peppers, walnuts, parmesan, basil, garlic🍲 Flavor Profile: Bold and garlicky with sweet roasted red pepper, toasted walnuts, and a gentle kick of heat.
🎯 Difficulty: Very Easy
I'm of the strong opinion that the secret to many good meals is in the sauce. And pesto sauce is one of those silver bullets that I reach for when I want to easily upgrade a dinner. I love experimenting with different flavors here (you might remember my basil walnut pesto and my lemon and mint pesto). So, this roasted red pepper pesto recipe isn't a huge stretch for me. It's a sweet, slightly smoky alternative to traditional basil pesto. Jarred roasted peppers keep it quick, while toasted walnuts, Parmesan, basil, garlic, and red pepper flakes give it plenty of flavor.
I originally made it to spoon over my lasagna soup (yum!), but we quickly found other uses for it-especially pasta, sandwiches, crostini, and an unexpectedly good tuna melt. It's bold and garlicky when freshly made, then mellows and gets even better after a night in the fridge.
The best part is, it only takes 15 minutes to make, and once there's a jar in the fridge, it becomes the secret ingredient you reach for when a meal needs a little something extra.
Why You'll Love This Red Pepper Pesto
- It takes 15 minutes. Toast the walnuts, drain the peppers, and let the food processor do the rest.
- It's a little milder than basil pesto. The roasted peppers give it a softer, sweeter, subtly smoky flavor, while the garlic red pepper flakes add just a gentle kick.
- It gets better after a day or two. It's good right away, but the flavors settle in, and it tastes even better once it's had a day or two in the fridge.
What Is Red Pepper Pesto Made Of?
Red pepper pesto takes the classic pesto formula of nuts, parmesan, garlic, and olive oil and builds it on roasted red peppers instead of an all-basil base. Mine keeps a little basil in the mix.
- Jarred roasted red peppers. A 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers is the base of the sauce, and it keeps this a 15-minute recipe since there's nothing to roast or peel.
- Walnuts. They take the place of the pine nuts in traditional pesto. Toasting them first gives the pesto a deeper, nuttier flavor.
- Garlic. Three raw cloves make this a bold, garlicky pesto, and that's how I like it. If you prefer a milder garlic flavor, use one or two.
- Parmesan cheese and basil. This combo makes it a classic pesto sauce and should not be omitted!
How To Make Red Pepper Pesto
Step 1: Toast the walnuts.
Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Watch them closely, since walnuts can easily go from toasted to burnt fast. Remove from the heat and let them cool slightly.
Step 2: Prepare the peppers
Drain the roasted red peppers thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. Removing the excess moisture is what gives you a thick pesto instead of a watery red pepper sauce.
Step 3: Process
Add the roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, parmesan, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and combined.
Step 4: Add the olive oil
With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process just until the pesto is thick and spoonable. Add a little more olive oil only if you need it to reach the consistency you want.
Step 5: Taste and adjust
Taste and adjust the salt, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes as needed. If you're making it for the lasagna soup, keep it fairly thick so it can be spooned over the ricotta before it's stirred into the soup.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the consistency. Want it thicker? Use slightly less olive oil. If you're tossing it with pasta, add a little extra oil or a splash of pasta water to loosen it.
- Adjust the heat. The ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes gives it a gentle kick. Cut back or leave them out for a milder pesto, or add more if you like it hot.
- Taste before you add salt. Parmesan brings quite a bit of salt on its own, so taste the finished pesto before adding more.
How To Store And Freeze Pesto
Refrigerator. Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. A thin layer of olive oil over the surface helps keep it fresh.
Freezer. Freeze in small portions for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator. A simple way to freeze pesto sauce is to place it into an ice cube tray and freeze it until the cubes are solid. Then transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer bag. This makes it easy to thaw only what you need.
Ways to Use Red Pepper Pesto
- Lasagna soup. This is what I originally made it for. A spoonful stirred into a bowl of my [ADD LINK: crockpot lasagna soup] adds roasted pepper flavor and a little heat.
- Pasta. Toss it with hot pasta for a quick dinner. (It's great with this shrimp pesto pasta!)
- Bread and crostini. Spread it on crostini, my rosemary parmesan bread, or warm pita bread, or just set out a bowl for dipping crusty bread.
- Sandwiches and tuna melts. Spread it on a simple sourdough grilled cheese sandwich, or stir a spoonful into a can of tuna for an impromptu tuna melt. It started as a random experiment at our house, and I highly recommend it.
- Pizza. Use it in place of pizza sauce.
- Grilled chicken or vegetables. Spoon it over the top right before serving.
- Charcuterie boards. Add a bowl to a Mediterranean charcuterie board with crackers.
More Easy Pesto Sauces
If you make this red pepper pesto, I want to hear how it went. Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tell me the first thing you put it on.
Recipe
Red Pepper Pesto
Ingredients
- 12 oz jar roasted red peppers drained well and patted dry
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly granted
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves lightly packed
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Drain the roasted red peppers thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Add the roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of black pepper to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and combined.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process just until the pesto is thick and spoonable. Add a little more olive oil only if needed to reach the desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust the salt, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes as needed.
Notes
- Drain the peppers well and pat them dry, or the pesto can turn out watery instead of thick.
- Watch the walnuts while they toast. They go from fragrant to burnt quickly.
- For a thicker pesto, use a little less olive oil. To loosen it for pasta, add extra olive oil or a splash of pasta water.
- Parmesan adds salt, so taste before adding more.
- Three garlic cloves makes a bold, garlicky pesto. Use one or two for a milder garlic flavor.
- Cut back on the red pepper flakes, or leave them out, for a milder pesto.
- Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it in small portions (I like using ice cube trays to freeze the sauce in cubes, then transferring them a ziplock bag) for up to 3 months.
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