Sun dried tomato pesto is a super tasty sauce that can take any basic dish from good to amazing. It's delicious on chicken, salmon and pasta, and on the table in less than ten minutes.
I think my love for pesto is well documented already on this baby blog. As I write this post, less than a month into blogging, I already have three recipes for or featuring pesto. Check out my recipes for Walnut Basil Pesto, and Pesto Butter Salmon. Oh, and don't forget Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken (in fact, make this recipe as the base for that amazing main dish)!
I think "most featured" is an honor that pesto quite deserves. Homemade pesto is a delicious sauce that elevates basic ingredients like pasta, chicken or salmon to something really special. And, as a bonus, pesto is super simple to make. If making pesto seems intimidating, please trust me - you cannot mess this up.
All you need is a food processor or high speed blender, and a handful of fresh ingredients to make pesto. The appliance does all the work, no chopping or mincing required. There are a few steps that help bring the sauce together (for example, streaming in the olive oil while the food processor is working), but between you and me, even if you just throw everything in, turn the processor on and walk away, you will end up with something super delicious that your family will love.
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Ingredients
Gather up your fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, salt and pepper, and sundried tomatoes. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
Notes
Choose sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil for this recipe. You will use the whole jar - the tomatoes and the oil. You will most likely see some herbs on the ingredients list like basil, oregano or rosemary - that's totally fine, and will just add flavor to your pesto.
Substitutions
You can substitute other types of nuts in this recipe in place of the pine nuts. I often use walnuts in pesto. This recipe could also be made with almonds for a traditional Italian pesto rosso.
Instructions
Step One: Add garlic, pine nuts, basil, and the whole jar of sun dried tomatoes with olive oil to your food processor. Pulse until everything is finely minced. (Don't add the extra olive oil, we will get there in a minute).
Step Two: Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse a few more times until combined.
Step Three: While the food processor is running, stream the olive oil in until the pesto reaches a nice smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon this into warm pasta, use it to make Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken, or drizzle it over bruschetta for a delicious meal!
Storage
Pesto freezes beautifully. You can freeze a larger amount of pesto in a glass canning jar. Put the pesto into the clean jar, and then drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent the pesto from turning brown where it touches the air. Leave an inch or two of space at the top of the jar so the pesto can expand when it freezes.
I also love to freeze individual portions of pesto in an ice cube tray. This makes it super convenient to use in recipes in smaller amounts. Put the pesto in an ice cube tray and top each cube with a little olive oil. Place in the freezer. When frozen, remove the cubes and store them in an airtight freezer bag to enjoy all winter long!
Recipe
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup basil leaves packed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 8.5 ounce jar of sundried tomatoes in olive oil
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add garlic, pine nuts, basil, and the whole jar of sun dried tomatoes with olive oil to your food processor. Pulse until everything is finely minced.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse a few more times until combined.
- While the food processor is running, stream the olive oil in until the pesto reaches a nice smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Tony
I love this recipe with chicken or on pasta. Great pesto!