Description
This vibrant Anchovy Red Pesto Pasta combines roasted red peppers, anchovies, walnuts, and parmesan into a bold and flavorful sauce, topped with a crispy garlic pangrattato for added texture. Perfectly coated short pasta like casarecce or fusilli brings the rich, spicy, and savory notes together in a satisfying Italian-inspired dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 300g short pasta, like casarecce or fusilli
Pesto Sauce
- 60ml olive oil
- 2 roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
- 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- ½–1 tsp chilli flakes, depending on how spicy you like it
- 50g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Pangrattato (Garlic Breadcrumb Topping)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, skin on and lightly bashed
- 50g panko or dried breadcrumbs
- small handful of parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the pangrattato: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the lightly bashed garlic cloves with their skins on and cook, basting the garlic with the oil, for 4-5 minutes until golden. Remove the garlic cloves and set aside to cool. Stir in the panko breadcrumbs and toast them over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and mix in the chopped parsley.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the short pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve a mugful of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta well.
- Prepare the pesto sauce base: Peel the skin off the cooled garlic cloves and finely chop the garlic. Heat 60ml olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the roasted red peppers, drained anchovy fillets, and roughly chopped walnuts. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the anchovies dissolve and blend into the mix. Stir in the chopped garlic, tomato purée, and chilli flakes. Continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture turns a deep dark red color. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Blend the pesto sauce: Transfer the cooled pepper and anchovy mixture into a food processor. Add the finely grated parmesan cheese and red wine vinegar. Blitz until finely chopped and well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Toss pasta with pesto and serve: Return the drained pasta to a large bowl or back into the pot. Stir in the red pesto sauce with a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce and help it coat the pasta evenly. Serve immediately topped generously with the crispy garlic pangrattato for texture and extra flavor.
Notes
- To make this dish vegetarian, omit anchovies or substitute with capers for salty flavor.
- Use gluten-free pasta and gluten-free breadcrumbs if needed for gluten intolerance.
- Adjust chilli flakes according to spice preference or omit for a milder taste.
- Toast the walnuts lightly for deeper flavor before adding to the pesto sauce base.
- Store any leftover pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: anchovy pesto pasta, red pesto, garlic pangrattato, Italian pasta recipe, roasted red pepper pasta, quick pasta sauce
