A southwestern twist on an original, this roasted poblano & garlic pesto creates a depth of flavor that is perfect as an appetizer or alongside a main dish.
If I had to pick one of my favorite peppers to work with in the kitchen, it would be poblano chile peppers.
Hands down – delicious.
A handful of poblano peppers can inspire a full-on Sunday cooking session. From Roasted Poblano Cream Sauce to Roasted Poblano Pesto… and even Roasted Poblano Queso Dip, I’m all about the kick.
Poblano peppers add a certain level of depth and flavor to Mexican dishes – enough to take a dish from just average to over the top. If your tacos are too boring, then drizzle them in Roasted Poblano sauce.
If you are looking for a way to jazz up an appetizer, toss in some roasted & diced poblano peppers.
Chile peppers are an easy fix for a boring or bland meal. Whip them up into salsa and enjoy them on or next to whatever you have on your plate – that’s it! Instant jazz — from something that came together with a few of your favorite chile varieties.
While that might be considered cheating to some… let’s be real. We’re all about a really good chile pepper.
With that out of the way… how about we move on to better things? Like this Roasted Poblano and Garlic Pesto. Perfect to drizzle on a toasted baguette, topping on chicken, or eating alongside a really good steak fresh off the grill.
Roasted Poblano & Garlic Pesto
To make this pesto, I used poblano peppers. Roasting them gives them a generous depth of flavor. Though they aren’t as spicy as some peppers, roasting them brings out a depth of flavor that elevates something simple.
Roast the poblanos on a hot grill (or in your oven), peel off the skin and then whizz in the food processor with some onion, a pinch of salt, pepper, feta cheese, fresh garlic and cilantro leaves. Once the pesto is made, there are so many great ways to use it:
- topped on grilled chicken
- spread on a toasted baguette
- alongside or on top of fish tacos along with spicy pickled radishes and curtido
- as a condiment next to grilled steak
- next to a plate of scrambled eggs
That’s pretty much everything I can think of!
Roasted Poblano and Garlic Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 ea poblano peppers
- 6 ea cloves garlic peeled, lightly smaashed
- 1/2 ea onion diced
- 1/3 C feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 C cilantro
- 1/4 C olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1/8 tsp ground pepper or more to taste
Instructions
- Rinse your poblano peppers and toss on on a hot grill, medium heat, until blistered on all sides. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool. Peel off the charred outer skin, remove the stem and toss the seeds. Seeds aside.
- In the food processor, combine the garlic, onion, feta cheese, cilantro and poblano chiles and pulse until minced.
- With the machine running, add 1/4 C. olive oil and pulse to blend.
- Season with salt & pepper.
Notes
- To store: refrigerate in a covered container. When refrigerated, the pesto will keep for one week. Can be frozen for longer preservation.
- Spread on sandwiches, stir into pasta or meatballs, top on chicken, steak, or serve on a toasted baguette.
Nutrition
Have you ever tried using poblano chiles in pesto?
If not, give this a try & let us know how it works for you! Please leave a comment, rate the recipe and be sure to tag me on Instagram!
Just made this to put on our steaks tonight for dinner. What is better than amazing? Because that is what it is. I’m just praying I don’t eat it all before dinner. Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely be using it a lot.
So glad you loved it. I used it for the same thing… it’s one of my favorite pesto varieties to make. And… I love steak. SO win win 🙂