Creamy Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

This red pepper pesto is a bright and creamy alternative to its better-known friend, Genovese pesto, made with basil and pine nuts. Pesto alla Trapanese—or Siciliian pesto—is a red pesto made with tomatoes, ricotta, and almonds. This is neither Genovese or Sicillian, but it is inspired by the southern variety, with the addition of—yes, you guessed it—roasted red peppers.  

I include a small amount of tomatoes in this recipe because they’re a nice compliment to the red peppers. If I’m using tomatoes in the winter, I almost always use cherry or grape tomatoes. I think that for year-round grocery store options, the smaller kinds usually maintain a better texture and flavor than bigger tomatoes like Roma or beefsteak, which can get a little bit grainy and flavorless when out of season. But, if you don’t like to buy tomatoes in the winter at all or don’t have them on hand, you can omit. The same goes for fresh basil. If you do leave out the tomatoes, you could replace it with a ½ teaspoon of red wine vinegar to bring a little bit of tang to the party. Here, I’ve used the pesto as a creamy pasta sauce, but it would also be great as a dip, a mayonnaise alternative for a sandwich, or spread thick on toast and topped with a fried egg.  

(Final note on tomatoes: If you are making this recipe in the summer, use whatever tomatoes you’d like. However, if you use a bigger variety, remove as much of the seeds as possible, using only the flesh. Otherwise, your pesto could turn out a little too loose.)

Red Pepper Pesto

Makes about 3 cups of sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound dried short pasta (I used pipe rigate)

16 ounce jar roasted red peppers (well drained)

¼ cup cherry tomatoes 

2 cloves garlic

1 cup whole milk ricotta

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)

1/3 cup almonds (without skin, either blanched or marcona)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup fresh basil (optional)

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Step 1:

Once drained, pat the roasted red peppers dry before adding to a food processor.  This is to prevent the pesto from becoming too loose.  Add cherry tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, ricotta, parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Stream in the olive oil and pulse until fully emulsified.  The pesto should be creamy and mostly smooth.  Taste and adjust your seasoning accordingly.

Step 2: 

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water, until just before al dente.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

Step 3:

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large sautee pan over medium-low heat.  Add the pesto, stirring occasionally to make sure it heats but doesn’t burn.

Step 4:

Transfer the Pasta to the pan, stirring to fully coat the pasta in the sauce.  Stir in some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce becomes too tight or dry looking. Allow to cook until pasta is al dente.  The final result should be saucy.  If your pasta stops looking saucy, it’s because it cooked too long and too much moisture evaporated. Simply drizzle in the pasta water little by little, stirring constantly to emulsify.

Step 5:

Serve directly out of the pot or serve in individual bowls.  Whatever you do, top with more parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.