Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)

This Homemade Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce (Pesto Rosso, Red Pesto) is a Sicilian variation of the traditional basil pesto. It has a deep, sweet, and tangy flavor and is very versatile. Made using a handful of ingredients, this pesto comes together in just 5 minutes (gluten-free, can be easily made vegan).

You can also try my Avocado Pesto, Basil Mint Pesto, and Walnut Basil Pesto if you are looking for more varieties of Pesto.

Jump to:

• About Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)
• Ingredients
• How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)

Love tomatoes? Love basil? Then, you are in for a treat with this amazing Homemade Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce (Pesto Rosso, Red Pesto) which is a Sicilian variation of the traditional basil pesto.

Rich red in color, this tomato pesto is tangy, slightly sweet, savory, and loaded with umami flavor from the dried tomatoes. This condiment is addictive, flavorful, and super versatile.

Pesto Rosso comes to my rescue on days when I come back home tired from work or it’s a school night and I have no time to put together a meal. I just toss my favorite pasta, roasted vegetables, or grilled chicken in this delicious sauce and a delicious meal is ready in no time.

Although red pesto is available in the market easily these days, I prefer making it at home. Homemade pesto is free of any chemicals, colors, and preservatives. It is made using the best ingredients and is still very economical. Plus it takes just a few minutes to bring together, so there is no excuse to not make it at home.

It is a great make-ahead recipe. You can pre-make this delicious pesto over the weekend and keep using it for the whole week. You can also make a double batch and freeze some of it.

This sun-dried tomato pesto recipe is gluten-free and can be easily made vegan. You can also half, double, or triple it as per your requirement.

Keep in consideration that the color of the pesto depends on the quality of the tomatoes used. It could range from a deep red hue to a greyish red color pesto. Nonetheless, the taste will be awesome.

Here are some more homemade sauce recipes that you may like

• Schezwan Sauce
• Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
• Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
• Cilantro Garlic Sauce
• Thai Peanut Sauce
• Bang Bang Sauce
• Lemon Herb Tahini
• Sour Cream Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

Sun Dried Tomatoes – Use dry sun-dried tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. If using the dry ones, you will have to use more oil while blending.

Find the dry sundried tomatoes in the produce section and the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes in the aisle of your grocery store which has canned vegetables.

Also, try to pick the tomatoes which do not have anything else added. If using the ones with garlic and herbs added to them, reduce the amount of these two ingredients in the recipe.

The color of the pesto will depend upon the type of sun-dried tomatoes you use.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Oil adds great texture to the pesto along with a nice flavor. Make sure you use high-quality extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor.

Parmesan Cheese – Replace parmesan cheese with Pecorino or Asiago if it’s not available. Replace it with nutritional yeast for a vegan pesto.

Toasted Almonds – Toast the almonds before adding them to the pesto. While toasting, make sure you toast on low heat, otherwise, there are chances that the almonds will get burnt.

You can also replace the almonds with cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or pistachios. A mix of nuts will also work great.

Sunflower seeds are also a great substitute for nuts.

Italian Basil Leaves (Sweet Basil) – While selecting basil leaves, look out for the fresh ones as they are very aromatic and add a delicious flavor.

You can also replace fresh basil leaves with other herbs (greens) like mint, parsley, spinach, arugula, cilantro, or kale.

Rosemary – Another herb that plays an important role in this pesto is rosemary. This is optional but adds a great taste. I used dried rosemary but you can use a fresh one too.

Others – You will also need garlic cloves, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust the red pepper flakes as per your taste.

Add some extra flavor by adding oil-cured black olives, artichokes, roasted eggplant, avocado, or roasted red peppers to the recipe.

You can also add some lemon juice, lemon zest, a splash of white wine, or balsamic vinegar for slight tanginess along with a refreshing flavor.

In some regions of Italy, fresh ripe cherry tomatoes are used to make pesto rosso (red pesto) instead of sun-dried tomatoes. You can try that variation too.

How To Make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Preparation

Peel garlic and shred the parmesan cheese.

Toast the almonds.

You can also coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and crush the toasted almonds for easy blending.

Gather the remaining ingredients.

Make The Pesto

Add

• 2 cups dry sun-dried tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes soaked in oil)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup toasted whole almonds
• 1 cup (packed) Italian basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

to a high-speed blender or a food processor and blend until a slightly coarse paste is made.

Scrape the sides of the blender a few times.

Note – If using sun dried tomatoes soaked in oil, use 1 cup of oil instead of 2 cups. Use the oil in which they were soaked to blend the pesto as the oil also has a lot of flavors.

Transfer the pesto to a clean airtight glass jar. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil and refrigerate for 5-6 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note – This recipe will make approximately 2 and ½ cups of pesto. You can easily half, double, or triple the recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Serving Suggestions

Tomato pesto is a very versatile sauce and tastes good with almost everything.

I like to use it as a spread for pizza, flatbreads, crostini, bruschetta, or crusty Italian bread topped with some feta or goat cheese. It works as a great sandwich spread too.

It makes for an awesome pasta sauce. Toss any cooked pasta like penne, spaghetti, fettuccine, zucchini noodles, etc with this pesto and make tomato pesto pasta. If the sauce is too thick, thin it down with some cooking water. If you want to make a creamy sauce, add some heavy cream to it.

Serve it as a dip with crackers or pita chips.

Mix a little in hummus or baba ganoush for a tomatoey kick.

Roasted cauliflower topped with pesto Rosso tastes amazing. You can also drizzle it over roasted veggies, gnocchi, or soups.

Slather it while making grilled cheese, panini, or sandwiches.

Serve it on the side with roasted chicken breasts or seafood.

Top the red pesto sauce over fried or boiled eggs for a healthy breakfast.

Add it to pasta salads.

Storage Suggestions

Transfer the leftover pesto to a non-reactive airtight container and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil. Keep it refrigerated for up to 5-6 days.

You can even freeze it in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. I like to freeze it in smaller portions in ice cube trays. By doing so, I can just thaw one or two cubes as per my requirement instead of thawing the entire batch.

When you keep it in the fridge for a few hours, the oil will solidify. Thaw it on the counter for a few hours to let it come to room temperature before using.

You Might Also Like

Recipe Card