Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe (known as Pesto Rosso) is a bright, vibrant, and tasty homemade pesto sauce that gets its rich red color from sun-dried tomatoes.  This 6-ingredient, 10-minute recipe is a flavor explosion that's surprisingly easy to make at home.

Love Homemade Pesto? Also, try my 7 Homemade Pesto Recipes including Spinach Pesto, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, Walnut Pesto Recipe, and Homemade Almond Pesto.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe

This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe is a fun twist on classic basil pesto using sun-dried tomatoes along with other traditional pesto ingredients like basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil.   The result is a flavor explosion of Italian goodness that is simply irresistible as a sauce or spread.

Serve it with pasta, on a sandwich, or even on pizza for an irresistible upgrade to any Italian dinner.

If you've been buying prepared pesto, you might be surprised at the difference in textures and flavors when you make your own.  Homemade Pesto has a simply magical flavor that's hard to resist.  Plus, making pesto at home is actually super easy.  This recipe includes only 6 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to put together in a food processor.

What is Pesto Rosso?

Pesto Rosso is literally "red pesto" in Italian.  It's a version of pesto that gets its gorgeous red color with sun-dried tomatoes.  It's also known as pesto alla siciliana or pesto alla trapanese and is the Sicilian version of pesto from the province of Trapini.

Why You'll Love this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe...

• This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe is a flavor explosion! The fresh ingredients shine here.
• It takes only 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make.
• It doesn't require as much fresh basil as a traditional basil recipe.
• You can make this ahead AND freeze it for future use.
• It's vegetarian, gluten-free, and low-carb. I included a vegan and diary-free version below.
• You can customize this basic recipe and make it your own.

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: You'll usually find two different types of sun-dried tomatoes at the store.  One is dry-packed and one is oil-packed.  I prefer using the oil-packed for this recipe but you can use either.  The oil-packed ones are usually sold in jars near the canned vegetables near antipasto ingredients like artichokes.  The dry-packed ones are usually sold with dried fruit. If you buy the oil-packed you can just go ahead and drain them and use them for this recipe.  The dried ones will need to soak in olive oil overnight to give them enough moisture to make a nice pesto.
• Basil: I like to still add some fresh basil to my sun-dried tomato recipe, some recipes leave it out.  I love the combination of fresh basil and tomato.  Make sure to use fresh basil leaves as dried will not work here.  The recipe calls for packed leaves which means you push them down into the measuring cup to make sure you get a full two cups
• Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are the traditional nut used in homemade pesto.  You can find them in the store near the nuts, or buy them here.  They are quite pricy though and if it's not in your budget you can easily swap out almonds or walnuts.
• Garlic: I like to use fresh garlic cloves.  To prepare them just remove two from the bulb and peel them.  There's no need to chop them, the food processor will do the work.
• Parmesan Cheese: I like to use a nice grated and shredded parmesan cheese. You can make this vegan or dairy-free by substituting nutritional yeast for the parmesan or simply leaving it out.
• Olive Oil: This dish really tastes best when using nice, high-quality ingredients.  Use your higher-end finishing extra virgin olive oil for this for the best results.  I like this one.
• Salt: I salt to taste but don't add pepper to my pesto.

Instructions:

This is an overview of the instructions to make this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.

1. To make the pesto rosso, get out your food processor.  Add the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, peeled garlic cloves, basil, parmesan cheese, and olive oil to the food processor.  You can also use a high-speed blender if you don't have a food processor.
2. Blend for several minutes until the pesto is well combined and the desired consistency. Occasionally stop the processor and scrape the sides down to make sure it's all mixed together.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Variations

I love this Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.

• Make it Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto: You can easily make this recipe vegan pesto or dairy-free pesto by substituting nutritional yeast for parmesan.  You can also just leave it out.
• Make it Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
• Make it Citrus: Add some lemon juice or fresh lemon zest.
• Make it Creamy: Add some heavy cream or plain greek yogurt.

FAQ

Storage & Leftovers

Leftover sun-dried tomato pesto can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.  If desired, you can put a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to help prevent oxidizing of the basil.

Freezing

If you need longer-term storage for your pesto, freezing it is a great option.  After making the pesto, put it in ice cube trays and freeze.  Once the pesto is frozen, remove the cubes from the trays and store them in a freezer bag or airtight container.  When you need pesto, just pop out one cube and defrost it and use it.  You can keep frozen pesto for up to three months.

What is sun-dried tomato pesto made of?

Sun-dried tomato pesto is made of traditional pesto ingredients like basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and garlic.  The only difference is you use less basil and add gorgeous and flavorful sun-dried tomatoes.

What can I do with a jar of sun-dried tomatoes?

Curious about what to do with that jar of sun-dried tomatoes in your pantry?  Sun-dried tomato pesto is the perfect way to use it because it packs to many flavors in a small package.  Use the pesto to make an easy pesto pasta dinner.

This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe is Fresh & Flavorful!

If you are looking for something truly unique to make, try my Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.  It's rich, bright, and filled with Italian flavors.  Plus you can't beat a recipe that comes together in just 10 minutes.

This pesto is perfect with pasta, as a sandwich spread, with bruschetta, as a dip, or as a sauce with roasted vegetables.  It's also great as a topper for chicken, fish, seafood or steaks.  I listed a few recipes below that you can serve it with too.

To make a fabulous Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta just toss this recipe with a box of your favorite pasta.  To make it creamy add a splash or heavy cream or plain greek yogurt.

Serve it With:

• Easy Lemon Pesto Salmon
• 4 Ingredient Caprese Pasta Salad
• Pesto Tortellini Salad with Asparagus
• Healthy Creamy Pesto Pasta
• Pesto Zoodles
• Pesto Quinoa with Shrimp

More Pesto Recipes to Try:

• 6 Fresh & Tasty Homemade Pesto Recipes
• Homemade Cashew Pesto
• Homemade Almond Pesto
• Homemade Walnut Pesto
• Cilantro Pesto
• Spinach Pesto

If you make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Julie Wunder

This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe (known as Pesto Rosso) is a bright, vibrant, and tasty homemade pesto sauce that gets its rich red color from sun-dried tomatoes.  This 6-ingredient, 10-minute recipe is a flavor explosion that's surprisingly easy to make at home.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 219 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes
• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup basil
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup parmesan

Instructions

 

• Add the sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, peeled garlic cloves, basil, and parmesan cheese, and olive oil to the food processor.
  
• Blend for several minutes until the pesto is well combined. Occasionally stop the processor and scrape the sides down to make sure it's all mixed in
  
• Add salt to taste.
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Notes

Storage & Leftovers

Leftover sun-dried tomato pesto can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.  If desired, you can put a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto to help prevent oxidizing of the basil.

 

Freezing

If you need longer-term storage for your pesto, freezing it is a great option.  After making the pesto, put it in ice cube trays and freeze.  Once the pesto is frozen, remove the cubes from the trays and store them in a freezer bag or airtight container.  When you need pesto, just pop out one cube and defrost it and use it.  You can keep frozen pesto for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 115mgPotassium: 519mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

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