We can never get enough of quick weeknight dinner ideas that take very little time but taste like hours of effort. This Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Pesto took us about 5 minutes to prep and once that’s done, you can use it on pasta, slathered on sandwiches, to top some roast chicken, as a salad dressing, even as a dip.
Roasting the red peppers in the oven does take its time but requires almost no prep at all. You could even flame grill them on your stove top. And if you really want to cut down your time in the kitchen, when you find a jar of roasted red peppers at your grocery store, buy it.
A twist on a traditional pesto, we used feta instead of parmesan and almonds instead of pine nuts. We also added a pinch of oregano along with basil. The combination made for a glorious, luxurious pesto that is tangy and delicious. Olives are optional as they do take away that beautiful red colour from the pesto but what you lose in colour, you gain in incredible taste.
Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Pesto
Ingredients
2 Red Bell Peppers
2-3 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Feta cheese
1/3 cup Olive oil
2 tbs Almonds
Small handful of Basil Leaves
Pinch of dried Oregano
1 tbs pitted Olives, optional
Salt to taste
Directions
Preheat your oven to 200° C. Halve and deseed the red bell peppers and place them cut side down on a baking tray and sprinkle both of them with some olive oil. Roast them for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven, place them in a bowl and cover. Let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, remove as much of the charred skin as you can but don’t worry about getting it all off.
In your blender or grinder, add the remaining ingredients and blend for an almost smooth pesto.
If you’re using roasted red peppers from a jar, simply add all ingredients in your blender or grinder and blitz for a minute or so. Done!