Halve all of the sweet peppers; remove stems, seeds, and membranes. Place sweet peppers, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree F. oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until skin is bubbly and browned. Wrap peppers in foil and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel skin from peppers. Cut peppers into thin bite-size strips. Measure 1/2 cup pepper strips; set remaining pepper strips aside.

For pesto, in a food processor bowl or blender container combine the 1/2 cup sweet pepper strips, the 1 cup basil, the parsley, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Cover and process or blend until mixture is nearly smooth; set aside.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan or Dutch oven in lightly salted boiling water according to package directions; drain. Return to pan; toss with remaining pepper strips and pesto until coated. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Makes 6 side-dish servings.