Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso) (2024)

August 8, 2024October 5, 2020 by Erin

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso) is a delicious pasta sauce. Or, try it tossed with gnocchi, spread on crostini, or dolloped on chicken breasts, steak or pork. This easy recipe is made with just a handful of simple ingredients in 5 minutes!

This summer I shared with you a post on how to make homemade sun dried tomatoes. And while you don’t need to make your own to make this recipe, I’ve had lots on my hands, so I’ve been brainstorming more and more recipes on what to do with a jar of sun dried tomatoes.

The first recipe I shared was for this Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta. And today I’m back with another recipe for sun-dried tomato pesto, that can be swirled into a bowl of warm pasta, or put to use in so many other ways.

I’ve always been a huge fan of homemade pesto.

From Kale Pesto to Broccoli Pesto to Arugula Pesto, I’ll take it in any form it comes.

But I have to say that this Pesto Rosso may be one of my all time favorites.

What is Pesto Rosso?

• Pesto Rosso, Italian for “Red Pesto” is a variety of pesto made with sun dried tomatoes to give it that beautiful red color and a sweet & tangy flavor that’s filled with umami.

Ingredients needed

• Sun Dried Tomatoes – Dry-packed or oil-packed. Or, try making your own!
• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Garlic Cloves
• Pine Nuts – Or, substitute walnuts or almonds.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Using a high-quality olive oil is preferred here.
• Parmesan – Or, pecorino romano. For a dairy-free version, try adding in some nutritional yeast.
• Lemon Juice – Adds a nice tang to the finished pesto.
• Salt

Note: You can use dry-packed or oil-packed sun dried tomatoes in this recipe. However, you will need to add additional olive oil when working with dry-packed tomatoes.

How to make it

• Simply add all of the ingredients (except olive oil and parmesan) to a food processor or high powered blender. Pulse to finely chop the ingredients, then stream in the olive oil. Add the parmesan cheese and pulses a few more times to combine and serve.

Recipe variations

• Swap out the basil leaves for another fresh green like arugula, parsley or spinach.
• Add in other flavors like kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, or roasted red peppers.
• Substitute walnuts, almonds, pecans or pistachios for the pine nuts.
• Swap out the lemon juice for another acid like balsamic vinegar, red wine, white or apple cider vinegar. Or, for even more lemon flavor, add in some lemon zest.
• For a vegan pesto, try swapping in nutritional yeast for the parmesan.
• For a spicy version, add in a pinch of red pepper flakes.

FAQs

How to freeze it

I like to make a double batch and freeze my basil pesto in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I pop the cubes into a ziploc bag. The smaller portions thaw quicker in the fridge, and are super convenient.

Uses for Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

• Use it to dress up aturkey sandwich.
• Stir it intohummusorhomemade ranchfor a delicious dip.
• Drizzle it over some grilledchicken skewers or shrimp skewers.
• Toss this delicious sauce with a bowl of freshly cooked gnocchi, pastaorzucchini noodles for a sun-dried tomato pesto pasta.
• Swirl it into this pesto risotto.
• Combine it with some olive oil and red wine vinegar (or lemon juice) for an amazingsalad dressing. Or, toss it with cold pasta and veggies to make a pasta salad.
• Use it as a dip for grilled orroasted vegetables.
• More → 30+ Ways to Use Pesto!

I tossed pasta with my the sundried tomato pesto and served it up with some burrata cheese – absolutely delicious!

Wine pairings

• White Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
• Red Wine: Chianti or Barbera
• Click here for 5-more pesto wine pairings

More pasta recipes

• Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
• Roasted Fennel Pasta
• Easy Lemon Spaghetti
• Creamy BLT Pasta
• Butter Roasted Tomato Sauce

More pesto recipes

• Pesto Genovese
• Kale Pesto
• Broccoli Pesto
• Arugula Pesto
• Instant Pot Minestrone Soup with Pesto

Did you try this pesto rosso recipe?

If you loved this rosso pesto I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me onInstagramusing the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

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Love sun dried tomatoes? Check out these → 40+ Sun Dried Tomato Recipes!