Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

5 from 2 votes

Red Pepper Pesto Pasta is a flavorful, vibrant dish featuring al dente pasta tossed in homemade red pepper pesto. This restaurant-quality recipe comes together in only 20 minutes and is the perfect meal for a weeknight dinner or entertaining!

Prep Time8

Cook Time12

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 460kcal

Author: Kathleen Higashiyama

Equipment

Ingredients

Red Pepper Pesto

⅔ cup parmigiano-reggiano or 4 oz, cubed or grated
½ cup pecorino romano or 3 oz, cubed or grated
2 tablespoon pine nuts toasted
2 garlic cloves peeled
12 oz roasted red peppers drained
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Pasta

1 lb short pasta
kosher salt
grated parmigiano-reggiano for serving

Instructions

Red Pepper Pesto

Toast pine nuts - Add the pine nuts in a single layer to a dry skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook the pine nuts and stir occasionally to toast both sides of the nuts. Keep a close eye to ensure the pine nuts do not burn. Cook until golden and toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool. This will also stop the pine nuts from further cooking or burning.
2 tablespoon pine nuts
Blend cheese, pine nuts, and garlic - Add in cheese, pine nuts, and garlic to the processor container. Pulse until the mixture is well-blended and forms a sandy texture, about 30 seconds.
⅔ cup parmigiano-reggiano, ½ cup pecorino romano, 2 garlic cloves
Add roasted red peppers and basil - Add roasted red peppers and basil to the container and blend. Stream in olive oil while blending, then season with salt to taste. Set aside.
12 oz roasted red peppers, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Pasta

Cook pasta - In a large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta to the water and cook until al dente per the packaging instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the cooked pasta.
1 lb short pasta, kosher salt
Add sauce - Add the pasta back to the pot and stir in the red pepper pesto. Add the pasta water about a quarter cup at a time, and toss until the pasta sauce reaches a silky consistency. Distribute into bowls, serve with grated parmigiano-reggiano, and enjoy immediately.
grated parmigiano-reggiano

Notes

Storage

Refrigerate leftover red pepper pesto pasta in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. In order to reheat the pasta, place leftover pasta in a braiser or dutch oven then reheat the pasta over low heat, stirring occasionally until hot.

Cooking Tips

You don’t have to use all of the pasta water when mixing the ingredients. The amount necessary will depend on the thickness of the pesto.
Salt the pasta water - Salt the pasta water so the pasta noodles will be extra tasty.
Mix the sauce well - Make sure the sauce is well mixed with the pasta noodles so the sauce coats each piece of pasta.
Remix the pesto - If you store and refrigerate leftover pesto separately, be sure to mix it again before using it because the ingredients often separate overnight.
Serve with bread - Enjoy this recipe with a delicious roll or baguette to dip in the pesto sauce. In Italian, this is called "fare la scarpetta," or "make the little shoe."

Nutrition