Vegan Smoky Red Pepper Garlic Pesto from Tideford Organics

Thanks to Tideford Organics for sponsoring this post and introducing me to their delicious Smoky Red Pepper Garlic Pesto.

I love the simplicity of pesto – I think it’s one of the best and tastiest pasta sauces out there.  I’ve made my own versions in the past, from Rocket Pesto to Wild Garlic Pesto but have always included Parmesan Cheese in the recipe meaning it wasn’t vegan. These days, we’ve been trying to eat a bit more plant-based so when Tideford Organics offered me a taste of their vegan Smoky Red Pepper Garlic Pesto I just had to give it a try.

The ingredients list is all-natural with no crazy chemicals or products you’ve never heard of.  All that it contains is Red Pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Chick Peas, Tomato, Garlic, Basil, Creamed Coconut, Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, Crushed Chillies and Chilli Powder. All the ingredients are completely organic, vegan, dairy-free, glutenfree and GM-free. What could be better?

But the most important part…how does it taste?

The easy answer is delicious.  It’s sweet and smoky and you can really taste the smoked paprika above everything else.  The chickpeas give the pesto body so that it’s not too runny and I found that I couldn’t taste the coconut at all.  It’s not too garlicky and I didn’t get any spice despite the fact that it contains crushed chillis and chilli powder.

And if you want to continue the vegan theme then you’ll need a vegan pasta to complete the dish. Most pasta is made with egg (and most is made with wheat which I can’t eat) but there are so many options out there nowadays that you’ll be spoiled for choice. For this recipe, I used fresh chickpea pasta (made with just chickpeas and water) but there are plenty of grain-free alternatives out there. There are pastas available now that are made with lentil flour, pea flour, edamame flour and a whole host of other choices.

Just boil the pasta (mine took 4 mins), drain and stir through the sauce.  Dinner that’s ready in less than 5 mins! Who doesn’t love a super quick midweek meal that you know is full of healthy, good-for-you ingredients?  I love the fact that you can keep a pot of this in the fridge for the easiest and tastiest meal that you’ll make all week!

And if you want to pimp it up even further you can top your Smoky Red Pepper Garlic Pesto pasta with some toasted pine nuts for extra crunch.  Add a few basil leaves and/or chilli slices as a garnish and you’ve got a delicious dinner that the whole family will love.  You could even top with some vegan cheese if you like.

You can find Tideford organics pestos for yourself by checking out these major supermarkets or by emailing info@tidefordorganics.com

For more information on the rest of the range visit the Tideford Organics website.  There’s a Green Pepper & Coriander Pesto I’ve got my eye on next!

Pin Vegan Smoky Red Pepper Garlic Pesto from Tideford Organics for later