Dinner needed to be quick and we were talking about having some kind of pesto pasta.
I knew I wanted to make a vegan pesto and use what I already had in my pantry. Since I was out of walnuts and stocked up on raw almonds, I decided to make an almond pesto with a Mediterranean flair.
I combined almonds, roasted peppers, olives, basil, parsley, and smoked paprika and was instantly smitten with the intense flavor combo – soooo good!
I served this pesto as a sauce for pasta, tossed it with some fresh cut basil leaves and finished with a teaspoon of grated parmesan. Honestly, the cheese wasn’t even necessary. When I put the leftovers away for lunch tomorrow, I left the teaspoon of cheese off!
NOTES:
- Be Aware– smoked paprika is not the same as regular paprika. Even though I am only using 1/8 teaspoon, it adds a huge blast of flavor!
- I used 3 cloves of garlic because my cloves were on the small to medium size, plus I love garlic. If you want it toned down just a bit, only use 2.
- I used Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers. If you don’t live near a Trader Joe’s or want to roast your own peppers, make sure to buy peppers free of additives and are not soaked in oil.
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Roasted Pepper and Almond Pesto
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 12 ounce jar roasted peppers drained
- 10 kalamata olives pitted
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- couple turns freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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Place garlic in bowl of food processor. Process until finely chopped.
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Add almonds and process until just chopped. Be sure not to over process as you want texture.
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Add roasted peppers, olives, basil, parsley, salt and smoked paprika. Pulse a couple times until combined.
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Slowly add in olive oil while processing.
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Give a couple turns of black pepper and pulse 1x to combine.
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Some serving ideas are as a pasta sauce (see notes for my quick recipe), as a spread on a sandwich or wrap or on slices of baguette with cheese. A goat cheese would pair really well with this flavor combination. Refrigerate unused portion for up to two days. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
This looks so good, and your photos are gorgeous!! I have to try this pesto!
Faith that is a HUGE complement coming from you!! Thanks 😉
I like the almond and parsley! I definitely cut down on the oil too. It seemed a little too much.
Thanks! I agree 🙂
I just looked up this food matters project. Looks really interesting! I want in!
It is great Megan – join us!
I love the changes you made to the recipe. Next time I will cut down on the oil as well.
Thanks Lexi – I didn’t miss it at all!
I’m weight watchers-ing as well and I LOVE what you did with this! The flavor you got sounds so vibrantly delicious.
Thanks Joanne! I <3 Weight Watchers 🙂
I love olives and smoked paprika, I’m sure this was a burst of flavor!
Yes Sarah – the smoked paprika adds incredible depth!
What a delicious looking pesto! I love the flavors you used, too. Thanks for sharing. You have a great blog and I’m glad to have found you!
Thanks Georgia and Welcome!
Love the idea of adding olives and using almonds instead. Sounds delicious!
I am going to be sad when the leftovers are gone. This was a great challenge 🙂
Yummy! Love all of your changes…and the end product is stunning. 🙂
Thanks to you Heather for picking such a great recipe!
I love the addition of smoked paprika! That pasta looked delicious!
Thanks Alissa! I had some for lunch and it was sooo good!