Nitrate & Nitrite Free Walnut Pesto Roasted Red Pepper Relish
Smoky, vibrant, and packed with fresh herb flavor, this roasted red pepper relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste more exciting. Broiling the peppers until deeply charred and then steaming them is the key move here — it coaxes out a rich, sweet depth that no jarred pepper can match. The basil-garlic paste comes together quickly in a food processor, and folding in hand-chopped walnuts at the end keeps the texture satisfyingly chunky rather than turning the whole thing into a smooth spread. Every single ingredient in this recipe is whole and unprocessed, which means you can skip the label-reading anxiety that comes with store-bought relishes, pestos, and condiments that often sneak in cured or preserved components. Fresh lemon juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes give it a bright, lively kick that balances the richness of the olive oil and walnuts beautifully. Scatter some flat-leaf parsley over the top before serving and you've got something that looks as good as it tastes. Spoon it over grilled chicken, stir it into pasta, pile it onto crusty bread, or serve it alongside roasted vegetables — it's endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the roasted peppers
- 3 large red bell peppers (about 1 ½ lb total)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the pesto-walnut base
- ½ cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler to high. Place the whole red bell peppers on a baking sheet, rub them with 1 tbsp olive oil, and broil for 18–22 minutes, turning with tongs every 5–6 minutes, until the skins are deeply charred and blistered on all sides and the peppers have collapsed.
- 2
Transfer the charred peppers to a mixing bowl, cover tightly with a plate or plastic wrap, and let them steam for 10 minutes — this loosens the skins.
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