Nothing screams Italy like a delicious homemade sundried tomato pesto. It’s one of my favourite toppings for pasta, possibly even my favourite when it’s made properly. It’s a fantastic vegetarian option, that just works well with anything you combine it with, whether it be pasta, vegetables, salads or bread. Get ready to experience the sweet intense flavours of the sundried tomatoes with the subtle flavours of the pine nuts, Parmesan and basil. I love this combination, but the beauty of this recipe lies in the fact that you can tweak it to your liking. In addition, if you omit the cheese element, you can create a delicious vegan pesto as well. What a way to celebrate Veganuary! How will you enjoy this delicious pesto?
Sundried tomato pesto
For those who are unfamiliar what pesto is, traditionally it is a sauce made up of crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The olive oil brings everything together. This is the traditional modern version of pesto called ‘Pesto alla Genovese’. Its origins are in Northern Italy in Genoa, the Liguaria region. Apart the from colour and the sweetness given by the tomatoes, the sundried tomato pesto is not so dissimilar from the traditional pesto.
History of pesto
Historians theorise that pesto goes as far back to the Ancient Roman times. The Ancient Romans used a very similar paste in their cuisune – ‘moretum’. The original recipe calls for crushed garlic, cheese, herbs, olive oil and vinegar. As you can see, it’s extremely similar to our modern version of pesto.
Also, did you know that during the Middle Ages a similar paste was given to seafarers and Ligurians? The version of pesto was called ‘agliata‘, which comprised mashed garlic and walnuts. Of course, over time there have been many variations of pesto. Luckily, the combination of using sundried tomatoes was introduced and sundried tomato pesto came into existence. Today, it’s one of the most common Italian pesto recipes that you can easily buy in supermarkets.
Do it yourself – how to make sundried tomatoes
By now you know that I am an advocate for doing everything from scratch! You can make your very own sundried tomatoes using your oven. However, you will need to do this on a free day when you are home and you can monitor what’s happening in the oven. Usually, the process of making sundried tomatoes in the oven can take hours! You can also use a dehydrator.
First, you will need to preheat the oven to roughly 95°C (200°F). The lower heat will allow the tomato to transform beautifully without losing any of the essential flavour. Once you have selected your tomatoes, cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds. Here is a handy trick. Fire roast the tomatoes first before you place them in the oven. The char will intensify the flavours even more.
Next place them on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet. Don’t forget to season generously with salt. Place the tray in the oven and wait until the tomatoes start to resemble the traditional look of sundried tomatoes. The tomato halves should shrink in size and take on the typical leathery texture. Just be patient, this is a lengthy process and can take hours and hours. Good and delicious things come to those who wait.
The best type of tomatoes for making sundried pesto from scratch are the Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are medium-sized and oval in terms of shape. They have a low water content and contain only a small amount of seeds – perfect for sauce making. These are also the type of tomatoes you should use in quiches or sandwiches, as the latter won’t make everything runny or soggy.
Sundried tomatoes
If you aren’t too keen on making your own sundried tomatoes, you can simply buy a jar in your local supermarket. For the sundried tomato pesto having the best texture possible, soak the sundried tomatoes in warm water for five minutes. They will become more tender and should blend more easily.
Variations and versatility
You can vary the amount of garlic, pine nuts, basil and Parmesan cheese to your liking. To make this sundried tomato pesto vegan, simply omit the cheese and add more pine nuts for texture. Moreover, you can have your own take on this pesto and add vinegar for some acidity, red wine or even fresh tomatoes. If you add more fresh tomatoes, you will lose the desired pesto consistency. The pesto will become a salsa or a dip.
You can inspire yourself with these pesto recipes I’ve made in the past:
Traditional serving
What I love about sundried tomato pesto, or any type of pesto for that matter, is that it’s so versatile. You can serve it with almost anything – it doesn’t necessarily have to be a pasta dish. Although, if you want to have a lazy day in the kitchen, combining pesto with pasta is the fastest and easiest thing on the planet. It works with any type of pasta. My children enjoy it with spaghetti, tagliatelle, fusilli or penne. Whenever I serve this sundried tomato pesto with pasta, I like to sprinkle some extra pine nuts on top and garnish with fresh basil. Voila – it’s a lazy, fancy dish! No serious hassle required and it tastes amazing.
More creative serving ideas
However, coming back to my original comment about versatility, it works well in salads too. For example, I can imagine it working very well with this butter bean salad recipe. Plus, it’s a fantastic opportunity to keep your meal gluten-free. If you are looking for something more filling, why not make pesto stuffed bread – similar to garlic bread? Slice the bread open and fill the gaps with the sundried tomato pesto.
You might think I am crazy, but if you’ve got leftovers, why don’t you try mixing a bit of the pesto with Greek feta cheese? It would be similar to the Greek recipe – htipiti, where the recipe calls for a pepper paste.
How would you use sundried tomato pesto?
PrintSundried Tomato Pesto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 250ml (1 cup) sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 80ml (⅓ cup) pine nuts
- 80ml (⅓ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated
- 80ml (⅓ cup) basil, washed
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 80ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for a week in the fridge. Keeps in the freezer for 2 months.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 189
- Sugar: 1.4 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 12.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.3 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 6 mg
save the recipe to your pinterest board
A special thanks to Kelly Reeve for assisting with the recipe shoot.
laura banks says
chilli con carne
michelle says
nice
Tracy Nixon says
Lasagne. though I also love roasted Mediterranean veg and always add lots of cherry tomatoes
★★★★★
michelle says
nice combination
Tracey Peach says
spaghetti bolognese yum!
michelle says
yum indeed
iain maciver says
in a lasagne jut love it
michelle says
me too. So do my kids 🙂
Ritchie Dee says
Penne all’arrabbiata
michelle says
yummy
Keith Hunt says
Grilled Chicken and Tomato Salad
michelle says
sounds delicious
Katherine Lucas says
I love making homemade enchiladas sauce with fresh tomatoes
michelle says
I love enchiladas 🙂
Solange says
Tomato & chickpea curry.
michelle says
great idea
Sadiyya maryam says
My mum’s spicy kofta curry in a rich tomato sauce, just delicious!
michelle says
nice combination!
Lisa Day says
Baked Tuna and tomato cheesey pasta bake is lovely
michelle says
indeed 🙂
john prendergast says
fresh tomato soup
michelle says
nice idea!
Laura S says
I love a good summer salsa with all of the fresh produce, superb!
michelle says
agreed 🙂
Mark Mccaffery says
A tasty lasagne
michelle says
clever
Margaret Gallagher says
Homemade tomato soup theres no taste quite like it
michelle says
100% agreed !
Margaret Clarkson says
Love tomatoes in a pasta sauce, with plenty of basil and oregano.
michelle says
classic yet amazing 🙂
CHRISTINE TURNILL says
Mozzarella, tomato and basil salad. Clean and fresh tasting.
michelle says
agreed 🙂
Laura Pritchard says
Tomato soup with crusty bread!
★★★★
michelle says
🙂 then you will love this recipe 🙂
pete c says
already subscribed. looks lovely!
michelle says
Great 🙂 Thanks Pete
jo liddement says
My favourite tomato recipe is my own home made tomato pasta sauce i make every year from the glut tomatoes and basil that i grow.
michelle says
That sounds incredible Jo!
Isabell Whitenstall says
I love homemade tomato soup
michelle says
same here 🙂
Graham Ross says
Tomato soup
michelle says
same
Carole Nott says
love a rich tomato based lasagne
michelle says
me too
Keely Faircloth-Wood says
Im defiantly going to try this!
★★★★★
michelle says
best of luck Keely 🙂
Daniel Marchant says
Very tasty …..
michelle says
agreed 🙂
Daniel Marchant says
I would go chilli
michelle says
nice
laura stewart says
meatballs in tomato and basil sauce x
michelle says
Nice!
Claire Woods says
tomato & cheese pasta bake
michelle says
you are making me hungry!
Suzanne says
Homemade tomato soup with croutons.
michelle says
classic 🙂 and delicious
ElizM says
The tomato essence that I was taught on a course at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir. Absolutely fantastic!
michelle says
that sounds amazing. Would love to know the recipe
Sarah Mccaffery says
Penne arrabiatta
michelle says
yummy
Gayatri Gogoi says
I love roasted tomato and garlic soup
michelle says
me too. Especially with lots of garlic 🙂
DAWN WINSKILL says
As a base for homemade french bread pizza
michelle says
sounds good
AUSTIN MEESON says
RAGU, PREPARED IN A FRYING PAN, TO ADD TO PASTA
michelle says
sounds good Austin 🙂
Rosie Boundy says
Meatballs in a delicious red onion, tomato and basil sauce. Yummy!
michelle says
yummy indeed
Louisa says
I would use this pesto mixed through linguine.
I love using tomato’s in a spicy salsa.
michelle says
nice idea
Gill Barwood says
Pasta al Cavolfiore- a delicious vegetarian pasta dish with a sauce made with tomato puree, cauliflower and garlic. believe me it tastes better than it sounds
michelle says
sounds really good! I am going to research it now
Zoe says
tomato soup – very simple lunch for winter weather
michelle says
agreed
Sheena Batey says
Chicken cacciatore
michelle says
nice. I will have an upcoming post on this recipe. Keep a look out 🙂
Harriet says
Tomato and basil soup.
michelle says
classic and delicious
Margaret Mccaffery says
The tried and trusted lasagne.
michelle says
nice 🙂
Katy Hacket says
Spaghetti Bolognese
michelle says
nom, a family favourite
Shan G says
Bolognese sauce…mmmm…yum.
michelle says
yuuuum indeeeed
Mary H says
I love a good caprese salad using home grown ingredients. Yum. The pesto sounds lovely but parmesan cheese isn’t vegetarian so I’d have to omit that.
michelle says
My suggestion is to add more pine nuts in this case to ensure the pesto’s consistency 🙂
Alan Critchlow says
Tomato salsa salad
michelle says
sounds refreshing
Donna Nervig says
On pasta with a good sprinkle of parmasen on top and a hand full of rocket. Simple, easy and makes a delicious side salad!
michelle says
lovely
Ruth Harwood says
Spagetti Bolognaise x
★★★★★
michelle says
nice
Ruth Harwood says
love a good Spaghetti Bolognaise x
★★★★★
michelle says
nice
michelle o'neill says
Spaghetti Bolognaise my grandaughter fave x
michelle says
Nice :))
Natalie Charman says
Tomato soup
michelle says
clever
Emilia Nastaly-Howard says
Pasta with mediterrenian sauce 🙂
michelle says
sounds lovely
Charmaine Dance says
Spagetti Bolognaise
michelle says
nice 🙂
Samantha R says
I love spicy tomato baked eggs – yummy 🙂
michelle says
sounds very interesting. I’d love to see the recipe 🙂
Steve Dickinson says
Tomato soup
michelle says
nice
Simone Griffin says
Lasagne x
michelle says
nice
David Banner says
The tomato topping on Asda pizza
michelle says
how creative!
Angeline Gregory says
Thanks for the opportunity to win this great prize. It would come in so handy 🙂
michelle says
you are welcome 🙂
Susan Ocock says
Tomato and basil soup
Andy Davison says
Great competition!
michelle says
thanks Andy!
Sam Flynn says
Sea Bream with Cherry Tomatoes and Lemon and Basil. Delicious!
michelle says
sounds delicious
Laura Harrison says
Spaghetti Bolognese with Quorn mince xx
michelle says
yum
Robert Noble says
I’d use it in a Shakshuka.
Jessi says
Tomato and basil pasta ?
michelle says
sounds delish!
Deirdre M says
This post has given me such a wonderful idea! I love to make a Duck Ragu with Pappardelle , and I will add this tomato pesto to it next time to add even greater depth of flavour!
michelle says
🙂 great! So happy when my food inspires
Allan Wilson says
Spicy tomato soup
michelle says
nice!
Tristan says
My favourite tomato recipe is just tomato and mozzarella bagels. So simple, but with good tomatoes from the greengrocer, it’s so good.
★★★★★
michelle says
🙂 sounds good
Kev Cannon says
We grow loads of tomatoes in the summer and I use them to make pasta sauce and curry sauces
nicky pearce says
Tomato and basil pasta
michelle says
a fantastic classic. yum
dana says
ratatouille
michelle says
haven’t had this in ages!
Karen Watt says
Tomatoes Avocado mozarella cheese fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
michelle says
lovely combination!
sheri Darby says
Home made tomato soup
michelle says
the best!
Steven K says
Putanesca
michelle says
yummy
Joanna Ford says
Chilli con carne`
michelle says
I’d love some right now 🙂
Jill Ashton says
Penne Arribiata
michelle says
nice
Angela Macdonald says
I love bruschetta with lots of chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil
michelle says
me too 🙂
Rai says
I’m really not a huge fan of tomatos but occasionally I crave a thinly sliced tomato and black pepper sarnie.
michelle says
nice one
janine atkin says
just a simple tomato and basil soup
michelle says
yum
Sarah Austin says
Tomato and mascarpone soup!
michelle says
oooo, mascarpone <3
AnnaS says
Home made tomato soup with basil.Delicious.
michelle says
seems to be the popular one here 🙂
SUSAN L HALL says
I use Tomatoes a lot my favourite recipe is a Spanish Chicken
michelle says
oooh, sounds interesting. What is it exactly?
Kim Lam says
The Sundried Tomato Pesto is my favourite
michelle says
:)))) Yey
Carolyn E says
I like chicken cacciatore using fresh tomatoes. For green t9,stokes m6 favourite is a simple Indian dish, but i don’t have the official name, ….8n our house we call it green tomato curry
michelle says
keep a lookout for my chicken cacciatore recipe. I have one coming up 🙂
Romilly Snowden says
Soup !
michelle says
nice
Victoria Prince says
I just love a simple tomato sauce mixed into tagliatelle!
michelle says
clever
Rachel White says
I add pesto & salami into my lasagne layers. .. yumm!
★★★★★
michelle says
nice!
Gillian Ross says
I love making sun dried tomato bread ?
michelle says
ooooh,you should check out my pesto stuffed bread!
Marie Rule says
A really tomato based spaghetti bolognese is my favourite recipe with tomatoes. I use both passata and sun dried tomatoes.
michelle says
I just had this today 🙂
Lucy says
I like a jambalaya with a lot of tomato in and lots of other veg 🙂
michelle says
sounds lovely
Richard Eldred Hawes says
Roasted tomato soup with basil and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese
michelle says
I am dying to have one of these now!
Rebecca Howells (@Regrash7) says
looks delicious!
michelle says
thanks 🙂
Adrian Bold says
A nice Lasagne
michelle says
yum
Gemma Cook says
Tomato and Basil Soup
michelle says
nice
Spencer Wright says
Chutney. And it lasts ages too ?
michelle says
CLEVER!!
Miss Tracy Hanson says
Mozzarella chicken in tomato cream sauce. and homemade tomato soup with basil pesto.
michelle says
Sounds like my kind of meal
Lyndsey Shingler says
I love making homemade ketchup with different flavour additions – my smokey chipotle ketchup was a particular success.
michelle says
nom… i’d love to try it
michelle says
nom… I ‘d love to try it!
kim d says
fresh grilled with sprinkling of oregano and a little grated cheese, delicious with toast for breakfast
michelle says
Sounds delicious. I agree
champaklal lad says
chicken and pasta with tomatoe
michelle says
classic 🙂
jacqui rushton says
I love roasted tomato salsa!
michelle says
same here
alice says
A good tomato and meat sauce with penne pasta
michelle says
a classic 🙂
Dale Dow says
I love a lot of tomato in my spaghetti bolognase, I use 3 kinds!
michelle says
really? which ones?
Giuliana Britti says
I warming tomato soup
michelle says
🙂
Louise Whittaker says
I love Mexican bean soup
michelle says
ooo nice. have you ever tried eating with nachos too? I love that combo
Louise Whittaker says
Subscribed 🙂 looks great
michelle says
thanks Louise. Welcome and I hope you enjoy the recipes
Catherine Macnab says
I love a Lasagne
michelle says
same here
Aidan says
slow cooked chilli
michelle says
oooo very nice
Liv Lee says
Enchiladas
michelle says
nice
Jessica Barber says
Balsamic roasted tomatoes on sourdough toast!
michelle says
sounds interesting. I’d love to taste this one day
Michelle Ferguson says
Tomato and chilli soup is my favourite
michelle says
nice. thanks for sharing Michelle 🙂
Carol Phile says
Aubergine parmigiana
michelle says
if you like aubergines, you should check out my masala grilled aubergine… you’ll love it
Julie Camm says
I’d use it in a pasta dish
michelle says
clever !
Natalie Crossan says
Low carbohydrate cream of tomato soup 🙂 xx
michelle says
sounds lovely