Red pepper and chard pesto is delicious with pasta, and quick to make too.
As I apparently cannot keep away from our local pick-your-own farm at the moment, and am on a healthy eating drive as well, there are going to be more fruit and vegetable based and healthier recipes on here for a while at least.
Where is the cake you may ask? Well there is plenty of that on here, and my last recipe of slow cooker brioche and strawberry pudding should have you covered for a little while.
In the meantime, I will be posting a few healthier than usual recipes based on lovely fresh ingredients, interspersed with cake of course.
Chard pesto
This time we had picked some chard from the farm, and I thought I’d try my hand at making some red pesto with chard in it.
I like both red and green pesto, but find the jarred stuff not too inspiring.
These gorgeous pointed red peppers were in the supermarket, calling to me to roast them. Red peppers become so sweet when you roast them, it is amazing really how much the taste changes.
So I decided to make red pepper and chard pesto, as I hoped this would make a lovely summer meal on wholewheat spaghetti served with tomatoes and rocket.
I love that seasonal fruit and veg is such good value, especially if you can get it locally and pick it yourself.
The pesto tasted really good, and the earthy flavour of the chard gave it an extra boost. I’d recommend this if you do get hold of any chard. A lovely pasta meal.
Recipe
- Two pointed red peppers
- A little oil for roasting the peppers
- 65 g chard, washed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 30 g pine nuts
- A handful of basil
Makes enough to serve 3-4 people, on pasta
Method
- Place the peppers in a ceramic dish, drizzle over a little oil, and roast for 30 minutes approx at 180 degrees, until the skin starts to blacken slightly.
- Leave the peppers to cool. Once cool, remove the skin, it should just peel off. Remove the top and tail, and any seeds. Chop roughly.
- Place the chopped roasted peppers, chard, garlic, pine nuts and basil in a blender and blend until chunky but no large pieces of pine nut or chard are left. Check the flavour and add salt/garlic/oil to taste. I liked mine as it was.
- Serve on wholewheat spaghetti, with salad, for a great summer meal.
More pesto recipes
For more pesto ideas, take a look at these:
- Chunky basil and toasted almond pesto from Coffee and Vanilla
- Fat hen and chickweed pesto from Tin and Thyme (made with weeds!)
- Rose pesto from Recipes from a Pantry
- Spinach artichoke pesto from Family Friends Food
- Kale and cashew pesto from Tinned Tomatoes
- Wild garlic pesto from Foodie Quine
Linking up with Pasta Please from Jac from Tinned Tomatoes, which I am guest-hosting this month.
Also linking up with Meat Free Mondays also from Tinned Tomatoes.
I’m also linking up with CookBlogShare from Lucy at Supergolden Bakes and #recipeoftheweek with A Mummy Too.
efwalt says
I love a fresh, home-made pesto! Red pepper and chard is a great combination. Thanks for sharing 😀
bakingqueen74 says
I’ve seen your pesto too, another delicious one!
efwalt says
Aww thanks Lucy 🙂
Sarah James says
Your red pepper & chard pesto looks delicious. What a great idea to use Swiss Chard, I’ll be trying this out once my chard is ready to pick. Popping over from #CookBlogShare
bakingqueen74 says
Thanks Sarah, I would love to grow chard myself, must try it next year.
Sneaky Veg says
I would never have thought of combining red peppers and chard in pesto like this but now I’m definitely going to give it a go – yum! #recipeoftheweek
Foodie Quine (@foodiequine) says
My eyes have been totally opened to pesto in recent months. I genuinely only though there were two kinds – red and green!
lucyparissi says
Mmm this sounds like such a yummy midweek meal! I think the (jar) sundried peppers from Sainsbury’s would make this super quick! Thanks for linking with #CookBlogShare
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I LOVE the sound of this – can’t beat roasted red peppers! I don’t think I’ve ever actually used chard, so this would be a good place to start 🙂
Jo says
What a gorgeous and yummy pesto!
Diana says
Sounds very delicious! I’m definitely going to try it sometime!
familyfriendsfoodblog says
Ooh, we often get chard in our veg box and I’m always looking for interesting ways to use it – thanks for this!
Thanks for linking to my spinach artichoke pesto, too 🙂
My Little Italian Kitchen says
Dear Lucy,
I really love your pesto, I have never made it with chard before and I think it is a great idea and very healthy too.
I wanted to say that I really love your recipes and your blog is great! 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
That is so kind Alida, thank you! The chard was so good, I have to eat more of it.
Margot⚓C&V (@coffeenvanilla) says
Lovely recipe, my girls love red pesto so I may give it a go next time. Thank you for mentioning my chunky pesto as well 😉
choclette says
This sounds delicious Lucy. You are so right about roasted peppers, but being lazy I get put off by the faff of peeling them. I suspect I’m doing something wrong as everyone else seems to breeze through it. As for chard, what a great way to use it. We usually have masses of the stuff, but this year we don’t have a single one growing – oops!
Love that top photo BTW.
bakingqueen74 says
I found it really easy with this shape pepper, the skin just peeled off in one piece. Do try again! I’ll have to try growing my own chard next year, love the colours.
sus @ roughmeasures.com says
This is my kinda pesto! I love Chard, I don’t think we use it enough! Thanks for linking my pesto Lucy 🙂
bakingqueen74 says
Chard is so tasty, must use it in other things