Pasta with Roasted Pepper Pesto

This was so good! The combination of smoky roasted red peppers and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, with just the teeniest hint of spice from the cayenne, worked so well together. We all loved it, and the kids want to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)

The only change I made was to use regular pasta because I did not have multigrain.

Multigrain Pasta with Roasted Pepper Pesto

Kosher by Design Lightens Up, Susie Fishbein

1 small head roasted garlic (see note at bottom)

3 red bell peppers

6 sun-dried tomato halves

2 teaspoons pine nuts

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (14.5-ounce box multigrain rotini pasta (such as Barilla Plus)

Preheat broiler.

Cut peppers in half and discard the seeds. Place on a jelly-roll pan, skin-side-up, and broil until skin is blackened. Place in a sealed zip-top bag. When cool enough to handle, remove from bag and slip the skins off.

Place the prepared peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, olive oil, vinegar, water, basil, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and the roasted garlic cloves into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to form a thick sauce.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately transfer to a serving bowl. Top with the pesto and toss to combine. Serve hot or at room temperature.

6 servings

*To roast garlic: Slice off top 3/4 inch of a head of garlic to expose the cloves. Spray with cooking spray, or drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and bake at 350F until golden, fragrant and soft, about 45-60 minutes.