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Have a surplus of basil on your hands? I love making fresh homemade pesto and sometimes I like to jazz it up. This sun-dried tomato pesto recipe is easy and packed full of flavor. You can use this pesto recipe for a hot weeknight pasta or make a sun-dried tomato pesto pasta salad!
Pesto
Pesto is one of my favorite things to make from scratch at home. It is quick, easy, and the taste of fresh vs. store bought is obvious. Pesto ingredients consist of: fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil. For a fun twist, I wanted to add sun-dried tomatoes.
Making the pesto
In a food processor add all the ingredients, except for the olive oil. For some extra depth of flavor you can lightly toast the pine nuts, but this is optional. For the sun-dried tomatoes, we are going to blend half and then roughly chop the rest to add to the pesto once it’s made.
First pulse the ingredients till they are all roughly chopped. Next you will start blending on low while you slowly pour in the olive oil. My favorite sun-dried tomatoes in oil are from Trader Joe’s, they have delicious herbs added to them which up the flavor. I used some of the oil from there in addition to the regular olive oil.
Once you have blended the pesto, taste and adjust salt if necessary. Next I added chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the pesto for texture and a more pronounced taste.
Store in a sealed airtight jar/container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to a freezer bag or in small jars, which should last for 6 months. Defrost in fridge overnight or at room temp.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
One way to use your newly made sun-dried tomato pesto is with pasta! Just like classic pesto, prepare pasta according to package instructions, then add pesto.
If you want the pesto sauce more creamy, in a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter and then add the pesto. Stir in 3 tbsp heavy cream and whisk until combined. Add the pasta and toss in the sauce. Add a few tbsp of reserved pasta water if you want to thin the sauce more.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
Another way to use the newly made pesto is making a pasta salad! Cook the pasta according to package instruction and drain. Toss with the homemade sun-dried tomato pasta. In a large bowl add in: fresh mozzarella balls, fresh arugula, and stir to combine. Refrigerate for an hour to cool.
Prior to serving, garnish with pine nuts and fresh basil. This is a great dish to bring to BBQ’s or for lunch with no heating required.
Love pesto? Try these two recipes below
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Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (divided, see note #1)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (see note #2)
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta (see note #3)
- 1 pound rotini pasta (or pasta of choice)
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad (see note #4)
- 1 pound rotini pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 2 cups mozzarella balls
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts
Equipment
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Instructions
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- In a food processor add: 3 cups fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup freshly grated parm, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Pulse the ingredients until roughy chopped, use a spatula to get any ingredients stuck to the side.
- On low blend, slowly pour in the olive oil to the pesto ingredients. Once blended, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add in the 1/4 cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine into the pesto.
- Store in a sealed airtight jar/container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to a freezer bag or in small jars, which should last for 6 months. Defrost in fridge overnight or at room temp.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water and drain pasta.
- Add the pesto to the empty pasta pot and heat on low. Once heated, add in the pasta and toss to combine. You can use a few tbsp of pasta water to thin out the pesto. You may also use 3 tablespoons of heavy cream if you would like the sauce to be creamy.
- Serve with optional garnish parmesan cheese.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain pasta.
- In a large bowl add the pasta, pesto, mozzarella balls, and arugula. Toss until coated in the pesto.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to cool down the ingredients. Prior to serving, garnish with fresh basil leaves and pine nuts. You may also drizzle olive oil.
Notes
- Favorite sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil are the Trader Joe’s brand. Added herbs for extra flavor
- You can utilize a few spoons of the sun-dried tomato olive oil for extra flavor
- If you want to use the pesto for a hot pasta, follow the “pesto pasta” directions
- If you want to make a cold pasta salad with the pesto, follow the “pasta salad” directions
- Nutrition information is for pesto only.
