Just 6 ingredients and a food processor are all you need for this easy Sun-dried Tomato Pesto recipe. Also known as pesto rosso, this pesto takes 5 minutes to make and is perfect in dips, through pasta and spread on toast plus much more.
I recently updated this super easy Sun-dried Tomato Pesto recipe with more information, shiny new photos and a slightly tweaked recipe. With so much incredible flavour, this pesto rosso (red pesto) is great on everything from pizza to pasta to toast and everything in between.
The wonderful thing about this pesto is it can be swapped for basil pesto in any recipe that uses it. It is a slightly ‘drier’ paste than my fresh basil pesto but you can add a little extra oil and / or a dash of water while mixing it if you’re after that same consistency.
It’s the same pesto I use in my One Pan Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake, and can also be used in place of the basil pesto in these pesto chicken calzone, easy salmon pesto pasta, or this chicken basil pesto pasta.
Ingredients in Tomato Pesto
So here we go, just 6 simple ingredients – count ’em. 6!
- Sun-dried tomatoes (very important)
- Garlic
- Pine nuts
- Parmesan
- Lemon zest
- EVOO
It’s a simple matter of adding these ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending them together (see images below). You can choose how chunky you want it and even choose the consistency by adding a little more oil or even a dash of water.
Toasting the pine nuts first is optional but definitely makes a difference and it only takes a few minutes.
- (image 1) Sun dried tomatoes (drained) and garlic into the food processor to blitz
- (image 2) Add pine nuts, lemon zest and parmesan and blitz
- (image 3) Right before adding the oil. Choose the chunkiness that you like or make it as smooth as you like. I like mine a little chunky.
How to use red pesto
Here’s some more ideas for using your sundried tomato pesto
- Stirred through hot pasta. See Salmon Pasta with Pesto and Chicken Basil Pesto Pasta for ideas
- as a pizza sauce or in calzone like this Pesto Chicken Calzone
- As a spread in sandwiches or over toast
- mixed into salad dressing
- over potato salad
- In pasta bakes like my One Pan Chicken Pesto Pasta Bake
- As a dip, mixed with cream cheese, sour cream or yoghurt
- swirled through bread dough right before baking
- Mix through soups to give them a flavour punch. Try it with this Roasted Tomato Soup.
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes drained if in oil, packed 170g
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts notes 50g
- 1/2 cup parmesan finely grated lightly packed 40g
- zest of 1 medium lemon roughly 2 teaspoons
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- To toast pine nuts, place them in a dry frying pan. Toast while shaking the pan over medium heat. Remove from pan as soon as they are golden.
- Place the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.
- Add the pine nuts, parmesan and lemon zest and blitz another 20 seconds or so until incorporated.
- With the processor on low, drizzle in the olive oil until all incorporated.
Notes
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…and I’m the recipe developer, cook, photographer, and author behind Sugar Salt Magic. I’m also mum to 3 amazing fur babies and wife to the most amazing man in the world. Life is good. I love food and creating easy (mainly sweet) recipes that I can share with you. I’d love you to join along in my journey so sit back, relax and have a look around for some yum that you can feed your friends and family with. 
Ideal ingredients, Irresistible !
I absolutely love sundried tomatoes, this recipe is genius and so easy!
It’s super simple. Thank you Trang