The robust flavors of this bold sun dried tomato pesto sauce make for a winning dinner any night of the week. We like to add this to our favorite pasta and serve it with a protein like grilled chicken, pork chops, or pan seared salmon for a quick and easy meal with no fuss. Like our basil pesto recipe, this simple red pesto with sun dried tomatoes comes together in just a few minutes with a handful of ingredients, most of which are already in your pantry. There are many basil pesto recipes with pine nuts but I opted to make this sun dried tomato pesto with walnuts for something a little different. We love making sun dried tomato pesto pasta with this sauce, but it’s actually super versatile and can be used in many ways.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions for this easy pesto recipe.
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil – These are different from the dried ones in a bag. You’ll need both the sun-dried tomatoes and the oil they are stored in. Walnuts – This is a walnut pesto although you can replace them with pine nuts if you prefer. Fresh basil – You need about 2 cups of lightly packed basil leaves torn from the stems to make this pesto recipe. Parmesan cheese – Adds a wonderful savory, nutty, salty flavor to the pesto. Fresh garlic cloves – No need to mince first. Just peel the papery skin off the cloves and throw them into the food processor (affiliate link) to chop. Olive oil – We recommend using a good quality extra virgin olive oil for best results. Salt & pepper
How to Make Pesto
Uses for pesto
There are so many ways to use this versatile, delicious sauce/condiment/topping! Here are just a few ideas to get you going. Let me know in the comments if you have others you love.
With your morning eggs for breakfast! Scramble a tablespoon or two of this pesto in with your eggs or dollop it on top of a fried egg for a wonderful savory breakfast. As a sandwich spread. Level up your lunch by spreading sun dried tomato pesto on some crusty ciabatta bread or rolls and top with Italian deli meats, provolone cheese, and spicy arugula. In soups. Adding ¼ cup of pesto to your favorite soups like minestrone or my lasagna soup is a total flavor enhancer that makes something already amazing even more incredible. On your favorite protein. This red pesto sauce goes well with steak, chicken, salmon, shrimp, pork chops, and pretty much almost any protein you can think of. Dollop it on top when finishing a dish in a pan, on the grill, or in the oven to let it heat for a few minutes to bring out the flavors even more. In pasta. You really can’t go wrong with a pasta shape and this pesto sauce. Stir it into some al dente penne, farfalle, linguine, gnocchi, or ravioli and a splash of your pasta water to loosen things up and you have a gourmet meal in no time. On burgers. Forget the ketchup and mayo and level up your burger game with my burger grilling tips and a generous dollop of this sun dried tomato pesto between your bun. Stir it into mashed potatoes. Maybe you have had pesto potatoes as a side dish at a fancy restaurant, so why not add this sun dried tomato pesto instead?
More Pasta Recipes
Easy Lemon Pasta (Pasta al Limone) TikTok Baked Feta Pasta Traditional Bolognese Sauce with Mushrooms Cajun Pasta with Sausage and Peppers TikTok Beet Pasta
Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Recipe
Classic Homemade Marinara Sauce
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