RAVISHING RED PEPPER PESTO PASTA

Last weekend I had a go at making my very own green pesto (recipe is here if you want to give it a go - it's really good!). This weekend to try and mix things up a little I decided to make a red pesto. Now it may not look particularly red in the the pictures I'll give you that but this version made with roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes is super delicious and at the end of the day it is the taste that matters the most isn't it? Toss it around some of your favorite pasta and lunch can be yours in no time!

Recipe below should make enough for two servings. Make sure you deseed the tomatoes as you don't want the mixture to become overly wet as there is no way to rescue it if you take it too far. Use a jar of roasted red peppers for your red pepper to save time and if you don't want any spice in the pesto you can leave the chili out (although I love the heat!). Simples!

Red Pesto Pasta

200g Your Choice Of Pasta

1 Grated Garlic Clove

3 Handfuls Of Basil

1 Handful Of Pine Nuts

1 Handful of Parmesan

1 Large Roasted Red Pepper

1 Handful Of Deseeded Cherry Tomatoes

Salt And Pepper to Season

Roughly 150ml Olive Oil

1. Begin by cooking your pasta as per packet instructions. Keep an eye on it whilst you prepare the pesto and once cooked, drain the pasta and retain 2 tbsp of the cooking water. Place the pasta and the retained water into a large bowl.
2. Whilst the pasta cooks, place the garlic, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, red pepper and tomatoes into a food processor and season liberally with salt and pepper. Give everything a quick blitz and then slowly pour in the olive oil in small batches, blitzing after each addition until a smooth pesto has formed (you may not need all the olive oil for this - use just enough until you get the right consistency). 
3. Taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed. Tip the pesto into the bowl with the pasta and give everything a good mix together until all the pasta is coated in the pesto

You can now either divide the pasta between two dishes and eat straight away or you can dish it up into seal-able containers to cool and then pop into the fridge so that you can take them out in the morning ready to transport to work for your lunch. This red pesto has a delicious sweetness to it from those gorgeous roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes with a little spicy kick of chili heat coming through at the end underneath that traditional basil and Parmesan pesto vibe. As I said, it may not not look amazingly bright red in color but the flavor is most definitely ravishing!