Red Pesto (vegetarian, with vegan substitutes)

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Red pesto is one of things that you will try once and become ADDICTED. I honestly did not know what I was missing out on until I whipped up a red pesto a few summers ago using a recipe from Genius Kitchen - added red pepper flakes to it.

Fast forward to last month when I saw a recipe for red pesto from Bon Appetit a la Molly Baz. HOLY MOLY - this recipe blew me away. The flavor is truly unparalleled - from the mild heat from the Fresno chiles to the umami flavor from the miso. Anyways, I made it vegetarian using miso (also the anchovy flavor is even better if you eat fish!) and it turned out amazing - I also made half of it with nutritional yeast instead of parmesan and it worked out perfectly. Love a recipe that tolerates meat-free substitutions! 

Recipe modified from Bon Appetit to make it vegetarian. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 Tbsp miso paste (original calls for 6 anchovies) 

  • 4 tsp garlic paste or 4 crushed garlic cloves 

  • ½  cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for processing 

  • ½ cup raw walnuts, pine nuts, or pistachios 

  • 3 Tbsp tomato paste 

  • 1-2 red Fresno chiles, seeds removed 

  • 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (for vegan: sub nutritional yeast) 

  • 1 tsp salt (may need more / less depending on anchovies) 

Here’s how to make it: 

In a small saucepan, heat miso, garli, olive oil, and nuts over medium heat for five minutes. Add in tomato paste and cook for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. In food processor, combine chiles, lemon, parmesan, salt, and nut mixture. Pulse until a thick paste forms - will likely need more olive oil to combine. Pesto will keep in the fridge for a week; keep in an airtight container. 

Ideas for this pesto: 

  • Pesto + egg sandwich: runny egg, crusty sourdough, 1 Tbsp pesto spread 

  • Elevated baked potato: parmesan, 1 Tbsp pesto (I’m also a weirdo and love greek yogurt with this as well), microgreens or spinach

  • Pesto + greek yogurt for dipping: 2-3 Tbsp with small container of plain greek yogurt 

  • Salad dressing: mix with EVOO or buttermilk for a cream version/ season to taste with salt + pepper 

  • Classic pesto pasta: scoop of pesto, 1 cup pasta water, pasta of choice (I’m partial to angel hair)


Annie Muske