Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

My sun dried tomato pesto takes classic pesto and gives it a vibrant and savory makeover. Prepared with sun dried tomatoes, a handful of fresh grape tomatoes, basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and silky olive oil, this recipe is perfect for pasta, or even a gourmet sandwich spread!

Pesto with a vibrant sun-dried tomato twist

I've always been a sucker for a good spread or sauce.

For me, pesto is the best of both worlds—it can be used as a spread and a sauce.

While I love a classic pesto made with fresh basil as the main ingredient for my grilled chicken sandwich with pesto, or my refreshing pesto pasta salad, I'm always looking for ways to give it slight twist and unique flavor profile.

My sun dried tomato pesto has become an absolute favorite little condiment/sauce/spread for us. It's vibrant, savory, and makes for the best spread on toasted bread, a terrific flavor booster for a turkey sandwich with some peppery arugula. Talk about gourmet!

And tossing this pesto with warm pasta and perhaps some grilled chicken or seared shrimp is ridiculously de-lish!

Made with just a handful of pantry staples and few fresh ingredients, this sun dried tomato pesto recipe is whirled up in minutes, making it a must-have for any season. It's super versatile, scrumptious, and dare I say, even a little addictive, haha!

My recipe for sun dried tomato pesto

The lovely thing about pesto is how easy it is to make at home. Everything gets put into the food processor to whirl up into a thick yet slightly textured consistency—perfect with warm pasta or as a spread on bread.

Heck, this pesto even makes a fantastic addition to an antipasto platter with some delicious cheeses, crackers, and olives.

Sun dried tomatoes are the star ingredient in this recipe, of course, but I also add a small handful of fresh tomato to the mix via some grape tomatoes (or even cherry tomatoes, if I can't find the grape).

The fresh tomatoes offer some sweet juiciness, which adds a nice acidic balance to this rich, savory pesto.

Other morsels I add in are fresh basil leaves (of course!), a good amount of garlic, grated parmesan cheese, and some toasted pine nuts for texture and flavor.

Once everything is processed in the food processor, I add in some silky olive oil to loosen it up, making this pesto delectably spoonable and mouthwatering.

Here's a glance at my sun dried tomato pesto recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I add my ingredients (except for the olive oil) to my food processor, and process for a couple of moments to create a smooth texture.
2. Then, I drizzle in the olive oil while the processor is running, until well blended, yet still with a touch of texture.
3. I then spoon the pesto out into a bowl, and add in the remaining tablespoons of olive oil to loosen the sun dried pesto up a bit,
4. To serve, I spoon it into a glass mason jar with a lid to store in the fridge.

Recipe

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Loaded with bright, savory flavor, this sun dried tomato pesto is fantastic to toss with pasta, or make a delicious gourmet sandwich with!

Category: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian-American

Yield: Serves 16 (2 cups total)

Nutrition Info: 136 calories (per serving, 2 tablespoons)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 8.5 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil (drained of oil, and blotted)
• ¼ cup (slightly heaping) grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 large garlic cloves (or 6 small), smashed with knife
• ½ cup (or ¾ ounce package) fresh basil, leaves only
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a small skillet over medium-high heat, and add the pine nuts. Toast the pine nuts for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden and aromatic, by gently swirling the pan to move them around. Spoon the warm, toasted pine nuts into a dish and allow to cool to room temp.
3. Next, add the sun dried tomatoes, the halved grape (or cherry) tomatoes, the smashed garlic, the basil leaves, the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, plus the cooled pine nuts to the bowl of a food processor, and blend until fairly smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Then, with the processor running, drizzle in ½ cup worth of the olive oil, and continue to process until a thick yet fairly smooth pesto forms.
5. Spoon the sun dried tomato pesto into a bowl, and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and gently fold that in to loosen it up.
6. Enjoy the sun dried tomato pesto immediately, or store it in the fridge in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, or in a glass mason jar with a lid, for up to 2 weeks.

Tips & tidbits for my sun dried tomato pesto recipe:

• Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil: While we're not going to use the oil the sun dried tomatoes are packed in, that oil makes them supple and tender, and easier to process. Just drain the oil from the jar of tomatoes (you can save it and use it elsewhere), and gently blot the sun dried tomatoes with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• Fresh grape or cherry tomatoes for brightness: Using just a small amount of fresh grape or cherry tomatoes offers a bit of freshness and brightness to this pesto, as well as juiciness. I prefer to use the tiny grape tomatoes when they're available, but cherry tomatoes, or any small tomato will work just fine.
• Toasted pine nuts, or other nuts: Typically, pine nuts come raw, so toasting them for a very brief moment in a hot skillet does the trick. This creates much more flavor, opening up the aroma in the pine nuts and making them golden and perfect to add to pesto. If you're not a fan of pine nuts, feel free to substitute walnuts or almonds. Or, if you have a nut allergy, leave the nuts out altogether. In that case, be aware that the texture of the pesto will be less thick. You can add a bit more cheese, if desired.
• Delicious uses for this sun dried pesto: We absolutely love this pesto to make a gourmet-style turkey sandwich, spreading a generous amount over the toasted baguette or sliced bread. The flavor just seeps into the bread, and gives lots of delicious flavor to the sandwich, especially when paired with arugula greens. Other tasty uses include tossing the pesto with pasta and grilled chicken or shrimp, or as an addition to an antipasto platter with crackers, cheeses and olives.
• How to store this sun dried tomato pesto: I typically spoon it into a glass mason jar with a lid, and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It is a bit thick when cold, but you can take it out 15 to 30 minutes before you'd like to use it to help warm/loosen up the oils in it. But it instantly warms and loosens when added to a warm pan, or when spread over warm, toasted bread.

Craving more zippy and delicious recipes like this one? Check out my recipe for Chimichurri Sauce, Arrabbiata Sauce, Garlic and Herb Cheese Spread, Marinated Mozzarella Balls, Whipped Goat Cheese, Mediterranean Feta Dip, or even my recipe for Roasted Garlic Schmear!