Red Pesto Pasta

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb. dry pasta of choice

1 cup roasted red peppers (from a jar of whole roasted red peppers)

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained

1/4 cup pitted green olives

3 Tbsp. pine nuts (sub chopped walnuts)

3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese (sub nutritional yeast if making vegan)

2 garlic cloves (sub 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Optional: Sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and/or protein of choice for serving (shrimp, grilled chicken, meatballs, etc.)

Directions

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water prior to draining.

While pasta cooks, combine roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, green olives, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth while gradually streaming in olive oil.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add pesto and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water; stir continuously until pesto begins clinging to noodles. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Garnish pasta with additional Parmesan cheese and basil, and serve with sauteed veggies or protein of choice, if desired.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 414 kcal
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Sodium: 560 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 58 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 12 g