Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)
Inside: How to make sun-dried tomato pesto without a mortar and pestle; How to store it for the short and long-term: What to make with it, plus tasty variations you’ll love.
This easy sun-dried tomato pesto recipe is a marvel. Use it as a condiment to slather on sandwiches, spread onto pizza dough, toss into hot pasta or blend with cream cheese for a tasty cracker spread. You’ll love the versatility it brings to your cooking. Best of all, this tomato pesto is ready in about 10 minutes.
Leave it to the Italians, knowing the easiest way to make a delicious meal is to add pesto sauce to pasta or a plain piece of chicken, pork chop or fish.
Pestos are one of my favorite ways to add a fresh twist to simple dishes. Their bright, rich flavors and clingy texture make them ideal sauces, spreads, or condiments for punching up the flavor in a variety of recipes.
This pistachio pesto is one of my most popular recipes. This basil walnut pesto is super flavorful, and this Spinach Basil Pesto with Almonds is delicious with pasta and seafood.
But these green basil pesto recipes have a Spring and Summer vibe.
This sun-dried tomato pesto recipe is different. It doesn’t need to wait for warmer weather because fresh basil from the garden is not needed.
Instead, use a jar of oil-packed tomatoes (available anytime), a chunk of good parmesan and toasted nuts. It makes a delicious, umami-packed pesto for many recipes.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s quick and easy and can be made in about 10 minutes.
- It can be made ahead and freezes well.
- Easily adaptable to other ingredients.
- Adds a punch of flavor to pasta, sandwiches, pizza, chicken and more.
- It’s naturally gluten-free and vegetarian.
Ingredients:
- Sun–dried Tomatoes Packed in Oil. For this recipe, you can use whole or sliced tomatoes. You’ll need the tomatoes and some oil they’re packaged in.
- Pine Nuts–these can be pricey depending on where you buy them, but I’ve found you can buy exactly the amount you need at Sprouts or Whole Foods in their bulk foods section Additionally, pine nuts freeze well, so if you don’t think you’ll use the whole package before the nuts go rancid, stick them in the freezer.
- Parmigiano Reggiano–preferably freshly grated. If you buy it in bulk (maybe from Costco) it freezes well too.
- Garlic–you want about three large cloves (enough to equal one tablespoon of chopped garlic).
- Lemon–use both the zest and juice.
- Kosher Salt–I like Diamond Crystal, which is less salty by volume than Morton’s. If you have Morton’s you may want to cut the salt by about ⅓.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes–for a slight spice. You can add more if you like a bigger kick.
- Black Pepper–freshly ground will give the most robust flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil–to emulsify the pesto into a sauce.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Transfer the jar of sun-dried tomatoes and their oil to a sieve resting over a bowl. Drain the oil from the tomatoes to reserve it.
2. In a dry skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat, stirring regularly until they begin to brown and become fragrant, 3-5 minutes.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tomatoes, garlic, parmigiano reggiano, pine nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice and ¼ cup of the reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Pulse several times until it comes together in a chunky combination.
5. While the machine is running, add the olive oil through the oil dispenser on top of the lid (it has a small hole that will drizzle the oil evenly into the pesto).
6. Process until smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary. Transfer the pesto to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate.
Pro-Tips:
- If you like a chunkier dried tomato pesto, reserve about half to pulse with the olive oil. Adding reserved tomatoes later in the process will allow them to keep some texture.
- For the smoothest pesto with a silky consistency, process the sundried tomato pesto recipe using a high-powered blender, adding more olive oil as necessary. (VitaMix is my favorite, but I’ve heard good things about the Ninja, too.)
Variations:
- Use other toasted nuts, like almonds, pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts (wow!)
- Add 1-2 slices of roasted red peppers to add sweetness to the sauce.
- Add a few pickled red peppers to the pesto. This will give it a tangy, spicy flavor.
- Instead of lemon, add 1-2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar for a stronger tang.
- Add 3-4 drained anchovies and blend with the pesto for a richer umami flavor (particularly good to toss with hot spaghetti.
- For dairy-free, swap nutritional yeast for the parmesan cheese.
- For a thinner, saucier texture, drizzle in more olive oil as you process the pesto sauce.
Storage:
- Store the sun-dried tomato pesto in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.
- To ensure the pesto stays moist, smooth the top into a flat, even surface, then drizzle a layer of olive oil to cover and seal it from the air. To use, stir the oil into the pesto.
Freezing:
- To freeze, spoon pesto into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. Pop the cubes out of the trays and transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag. Keep them frozen for up to 3 months. This way, you can use a few sun-dried tomato pesto cubes in last-minute recipes.
What can I do with sun-dried tomato pesto?
- Use it as a spread on sandwiches or grilled cheese.
- Mix with cream cheese and sour cream to make a sun-dried tomato dip for crackers or chips.
- Add it to freshly cooked pasta and a ladle or two of the starchy pasta water to coat the noodles for a quick and easy meal. Serve with extra pine nuts and parmigiano reggiano.
- Spread onto flatbread and top with slices of fresh mozzarella; heat in the oven until the cheese is melty.
More pesto recipes to try:
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- Food Processor
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- Set a dry skillet over medium heat on the stovetop. Add ½ cup pine nuts and cook, stirring regularly, until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. Transfer the pine nuts to a separate dish to cool (if you don't transfer them to another vessel, they'll continue to cook and possibly burn). Set aside
- Place 8 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. Drain the excess oil from the tomatoes and reserve.
- Add the tomatoes, ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese, 3 large cloves garlic, 1 lemon, zested and juiced and ¼ cup of the reserved oil from the jar to the food processor. Pulse several times until chunky-smooth.
- Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and pulse to combine. Use the drip spout on top of the food processor and carefully add ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, running the food processor until it's completely combined.
- Taste the pesto for seasonings and adjust as necessary to suit your tastes.
RECIPE VIDEO:
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
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This sounds wonderful. I just wish my husband like sun-dried tomatoes!
This is such a good pesto. The flavor is so different from a basil pesto. I mixed it with spaghetti and a little pasta water. It was a quick and easy meal.
Hopefully steeping a cup of homegrown dehydrated cherry tomatoes in EVOO for a few days will approximate what comes in an 8oz jar – wish me luck!