Green Chile Pesto with Roasted Chayote Squash recipe

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Ingredients

6 serrano peppers
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 poblano pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro with stems
½ bunch fresh Italian parsley
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup olive oil
3 chayote squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 lime, juiced
⅓ cup crumbled soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon pumpkin seeds, or to taste

Nutrition Info

243.4 calories
carbohydrate: 6.4 g
cholesterol: 4.6 mg
fat: 24.1 g
fiber: 2.3 g
protein: 2.6 g
saturatedFat: 4.3 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 519.1 mg
sugar: 1.9 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place serrano chiles and garlic in the hot skillet. Cook until blistered and browned on the outside and slightly softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Roast poblano over an open flame until blackened all over, wrap up in a paper towel to let steam.

  2. Place serranos and garlic in a bowl, let cool until safe to handle. Peel the garlic and remove stems and seeds from serranos and poblano.

  3. Place cilantro and parsley in a blender. Add peppers, garlic, salt, and olive oil. Pulse on and off, scraping down the sides if necessary, until puree is fairly smooth and slightly coarse. Store pesto in a bowl until ready to use.

  4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

  5. Halve and quarter chayote lengthwise. Remove seeds and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place on a lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven until chayote is just barely fork-tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add lime juice, 2 to 3 heaping spoonfuls of pesto, and goat cheese. Transfer salad to a serving dish and garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Recipe Yield

8 servings

Recipe Note

Inspired by Rick Bayless's green chile adobo, this beautiful pesto goes great in a roasted chayote side dish, or warm salad. If you can't find chayote, use grilled zucchini or other summer squash, or even something like acorn or delicata squash. You can add 2 limes' worth of juice right to the pesto if you're going to use it all at once as a sauce for something. Otherwise, this keeps longer in the fridge if you omit it and add the juice of 1 lime to the chayote instead.

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