Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

When I was at Wegmans yesterday I walked by a bag of red peppers and it reminded me that I wanted to make red pepper pesto from a recipe that I saw in the paper this morning. So I bought the peppers and when I got home and looked at the recipe I saw that it used jarred roasted red peppers. Guess I just added another level of time into the recipe. But that's OK. I love fresh roasted red peppers and I have a lot of good books on CD to listen to. I can cook forever when I have good books to listen to.

The past 3 days I got hooked on Season 1 of Damages. I always wanted to watch the show but never really knew when it was on. It was so compelling. Like watching 24, every episode left you hungry for the next one. I think I'll take a break before I get Season 2. Larry didn't watch it with me, he missed a good thing. Maybe I can catch him up and he'll do Season 2 with me.

This is the recipe that was in the D&C and came from the Kansas City Star.

Red Pepper Pesto Pasta
Makes 6 servings

1 cup drained, jarred, roasted red peppers (2 (9-ounce) jars)
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/4 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted (see cooking tip)
1 (12-ounce) box multigrain or whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli, fettuccine or other favorite shape
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into chiffonade (see cooking tip)

Place peppers, garlic, chicken broth, 2  1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, olive oil and walnuts in work bowl of food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides, until mixture is smooth; set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss pesto with hot pasta. Divide between 6 bowls and garnish with remaining Parmesan and basil chiffonade.

Per serving: 259 calories (20 percent from fat), 6 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 45 grams carbohydrates, 11 grams protein, 49 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

and this is the recipe that I used for the Roasted Red Peppers

Roasted Red Peppers from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:
red peppers

Directions:
1. Cut the red peppers in half, remove the stem and seeds.
2. Place the red peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down.
3. Preheat the oven to 450F and then change it to broil.
4. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf in the oven and broil until the outer layer of the skin has blackened, about 10-20 minutes.
5. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the skins from the peppers. The skins should easily "pinch" off.