Ditch the store-bought stuff and experience restaurant-quality pesto perfection - at a fraction of the cost! This easy sun-dried tomato pesto recipe uses simple, fresh ingredients for a bolder, more flavorful, vibrant sauce that's easy to customize to your taste. Perfect for elevating appetizers, pasta, soups, sandwiches, and more.
1/4 to 1/3CupGood Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil- (SEE NOTES)
Instructions
Blend Sun Dried Tomato Pesto ingredients: To the bowl of the food processor, add the dried tomatoes (not the oil), garlic, parmesan, roasted red peppers, basil, nuts, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, a heaping 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Pulse until finely chopped and uniform in size, stopping to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
Slowly Add Olive Oil: Add ¼ cup of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Pulse until ingredients are minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the processor running, stream in enough olive oil until the mixture has a slightly smooth, but still chunky, pesto-like consistency. Taste and adjust pesto for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve: Enjoy pesto as a dip with veggies, breads, and crostini, toss it with pasta, stir into soups, spread on sandwiches and pizzas, use it as a topping for grilled chicken, meat, or fish. Alternatively, store the dried tomato pesto in an airtight container and enjoy later.
Notes
The amount of oil from your sun-dried tomato jar will depend on the brand you use. If you don’t have ¼ cup of sun-dried tomato oil, simply substitute more olive oil.
For the best pesto, make sure you use toasted nuts!
To toast nuts: Add raw nuts to a small, dry skillet. Place skillet over medium-low heat and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and slightly golden around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool before using to make dried tomato pesto.
The exact amount of extra virgin olive oil needed in the pesto will depend entirely upon how thick or thin you like your pesto. I used a TOTAL of a scant 2/3 cup oil. (Total oil included both sun-dried tomato oil AND olive oil)
Storage: Store sun dried pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Alternatively, tomato pesto can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Vegan Option: Omit parmesan cheese and use vegan substitute.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 10 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.