Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Penne

*from the pickey-palate.com (and changed a little by me!)

I was a little nervous about serving this dish to my kiddos! I knew I would love it...but would my kids be willing to even try GREEN pasta? Surprisingly enough, they not only tried it, but they devoured it! And they literally moaned with delight as they ate. We had zero left overs of this dish! It was a huge success (and has been repeatedly asked for by my kids ever since)!

Now there are two ways to make this dish. The easy way, or the way that requires a bit more effort (which is the original recipe below).

EASY VERSION:
The easy way includes buying a jar of pre-made pesto from Costco! Then I took 1/2 Cup of roasted red peppers from a jar and ground them up in a food processor. Lastly I combined the red peppers with the pre-made pesto sauce. If you do it this way, you can jump ahead to step #2 in the directions below! Enjoy! (PS - I did add the bit of cream like it suggests and also a bunch of fresh shredded Parmesan! It made the dish very creamy and cheesy. Delish).

Ingredients:

½ Cup roasted red bell peppers from can or fresh

3 cloves fresh garlic

1/3 Cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 Cup pine nuts

1 ½ Cups basil leaves

½ teaspoon salt

½ Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lb Penne Piccolini

¼ Cup heavy cream, if desired (I added it for a more creamy sauce, but it’s great just with the pesto as well)

1. Place roasted red peppers and garlic into food processor. Pulse until well combined. Add the parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves and salt. With processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Set aside.

2. Cook penne according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large rimmed skillet or pot. Pour in pesto and stir. Stir in heavy cream and fresh shredded Parmesan if desired. Heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Best served immediately.