Mediterranean Vegetable Pesto is the utmost in sauce flexibility and flavour. A smooth pesto consisting of roasted red peppers, artichokes, capers, and parmesan, this sauce floods the taste buds with the familiar essence of Mediterranean-inspired flavour.
It’s no big secret, Dear Reader, that I love a good sauce. If I were to compile a top ten list of my favourite recipes, I can state without doubt or hesitation that nine of them would contain a deeply flavoured, delicious sauce. And an abundance of sauce too!
I’m one of those who loves to dip everything – pizza, wings, veggies, etc. And, I love to use bread to absorb the leftover sauces in big bowls of soups and stews and chilies. I’ll put ketchup on just about anything and mayonnaise is my weakness; not to mention sour cream, salsa, and guacamole! So, it should come as no surprise that a good vegetable-based, easy-to-prepare pesto, such as this Mediterranean Vegetable Pesto, would be high on my top ten recipe list.
Pesto provides me with two very important things. First, it allows me to get dinner on the table quickly and easily. And, secondly, although I own this food blog and love to cook, I can sometimes get lost in a good book or with a project I’m working on, which leaves no time for cooking. By having a pesto like this on hand, I can get a good dinner on the table in very little time without giving up my precious personal time.
If you’re much like me, you love the flavours of Mediterranean food. And, I’m sure you’ll put this pesto to good use. Obviously, the easiest and most obvious way to use up this pesto is to toss it with some cooked pasta, sprinkle some parsley and parmesan on top and dive in, but there’s so much more that you can do with it.
Consider smearing a liberal amount on freshly toasted crostini. Top it with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions for a great appetizer. Use it as a condiment to compliment your favourite lamb burger. Use it instead of regular marinara sauce on a homemade pizza. Blend some into softened butter for a flavourful twist on a morning toasted bagel. Roast cubed potatoes on a sheet pan with a little olive oil and once browned, toss the roasted potatoes with a few tablespoons of this pesto.
Have I given you enough ideas? Or do you want more? Here’s one that is really delicious – grill some fresh corn and smear this pesto over the corn; sprinkle with parmesan for a great summer barbeque option. Finally, spread liberally over baked chicken breasts and broil for two or three minutes until bubbly and hot. Delicious! I could go on and on, but you get the general idea.
With this many options, you’ll be glad this recipe yeilds about 4 cups of pesto. I know that seems like a lot, but it will last a full seven days in a sealed mason jar in your refrigerator. Simply spoon out the desired amount and place it back in the fridge for safe keeping. I’m sure, Dear Reader, once you get a taste of this sauce, you’ll most likely find many, many ways to use it up before the seven days elapses. Happy eating!
Note: I tend to make my own roasted red peppers – it’s cheaper and easy and tastes a whole lot better than store-bought. You can find the recipe here, Roasted Red Peppers. It’s an old blog post of mine from 2015 and needs to be updated, but the method and ingredients remain the same. Cheers!
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Mediterranean Vegetable Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 whole jarred roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
- 28 ounces canned artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 ounces capers, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer sauce to a large mason jar and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to allow flavours to marry together.
- Refrigerate for up to 7 days.
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Please note: This recipe is an adaptation from Life Love and Good Food. The original recipe – Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade – can be found here.
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