I have to tell you something.
I don’t like pesto.
I know, I know. But really, it’s vile. The husband looooves it and rarely gets it. I think it’s been at least 4 years since he’s had it. True story.
However, I’ve been trying to add more vegetarian meals to my collection of recipes and this one, folks, is a winner.
I absolutely adore Annie of Annie’s Eats. She seems really sweet and all of her recipes work out really nicely. So, when I came across this recipe for Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Penne, I just had to try it. The voice in the back of my mind was saying “but pestoooooo NOOOOOOO!!!!” and I said to that voice “shut up you moron, there’s roasted red peppers! those are your favorite!”
So, voice #2 won. However, it didn’t happen without a fight. I omitted the pine nuts. Not on purpose though, my suck ass grocery store doesn’t carry them and i’m not the type of person to run all over hells half acre to find them. So, no pine nuts were harmed in the making of this dish.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Adapted from Picky-Palate via Annie’s Eats
Serves 2 (with leftovers, or not, if you’re a pig like me)
4 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional, apparently)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
1 large roasted red bell pepper
1 cup basil leaves (I just used a handful of leaves, I didn’t measure)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lb. penne pasta
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Bring water to boil, salt liberally. Add 1/2 box of pasta (I used rigatoni).
While pasta cooks, in a food processor add garlic, cheese, roasted red pepper and basil leaves. Process until smooth, then add the olive oil down the tube and process for a few seconds more. Season with salt and pepper.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and return it to the pot and place it back on the stove. Add the sauce and heavy cream and stir until it warms through. Plate it up and sprinkle it with more parmesan and serve it immediatley.
