This is my twist on the easy and versatile pesto rosso made with sun-dried tomatoes. My version includes chopped red onion and a little red wine vinegar in addition to the traditional olive oil, basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.
Like any homemade pesto, such as basil pesto, it comes together in just a few minutes in the food processor or mini chopper, and has a ton of uses.
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This sun dried tomato pesto is the perfect condiment to have in the refrigerator for those nights that you can't contemplate making dinner.
👩🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- The red onion adds a bit of sweetness to the dish that blends fabulously with the sun dried tomatoes.
- Adding a touch of red wine vinegar balances the deep savory of the sun dried tomatoes, without losing any of the umami of the condiment.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's ready in about 10 minutes and keep for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
- No fancy ingredients.
- No cooking required at all.
- Just like with a classic basil pesto, there are lots of ways to use it ranging from pasta to tossing it with grains or roasted vegetables.
- It adds a little burst of savory umami to dishes that taste a little bland.
- Great make-ahead recipe.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Red onion
- Garlic - either garlic cloves or garlic paste in a tube.
- Basil leaves
- Pine nuts
- Parmesan cheese
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer - for draining the sun dried tomatoes.
- Mini chopper or food processor
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
For something so simple, there are a lot of variations to this tomato pesto recipe. And I encourage you to experiment and make it your own. Here are some ideas:
- Cut the basil in half, and add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or marjoram.
- Use the oil the sun dried tomatoes soak in.
- Add kalamata olives to make it a blend of an olive tampenade and pesto.
- My variation is adding a little red wine vinegar and red onion, but you can nix them without making any other changes, if that's your preference.
- Substitute asiago cheese or manchego cheese for the Parmesan.
- Use a different kind of nut in place of the pine nuts, such as walnuts or almonds.
- Substitute lemon juice for the vinegar.
👩🍳 Uses For Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
- Stir into your favorite pasta, rice or whole grains (I'm thinking farro here!).
- Add to a vinaigrette for a salad.
- Use as a dip as part of an appetizer tray with cheese.
- Spoon over steamed vegetables or a baked potato.
- Smear some on your next pizza, or add to the pizza sauce.
- Spread on freshly baked bread with a little olive oil.
- Freeze it in ice cube trays to add to soup, omelets and casseroles.
- Use in place of tomato paste in recipes using a 1-1 ratio.
- Add to your favorite store-bought pasta sauce.
🤷♀️ Pesto Rosso FAQ
What's the best way to store this pesto?
Store in an airtight container, such as jars. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. Pouring a thin layer of olive oil on top of it will keep it fresh even longer.
How much pesto does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 1 ½ cups of pesto.
📇 More Italian Food
By the way, another veggie sauce kind of pasta, ready in under 30 minutes, is this roasted red pepper penne, tossed with broccoli rabe. And now, let's get into this sun-dried tomato pesto pasta.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer to drain the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- Mini chopper or food processor (using a small bowl)
Ingredients
- 8 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Drain the sun dried tomatoes.
- Pile the sun dried tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, onion, garlic cloves, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor or mini chopper fitted with a metal blade. If using a food processor with a feed tube, stream the olive oil into the pesto while the food processor is running until the pesto is completely blended and emulsified.If using a mini chopper without a feed tube, add ½ of the olive oil, and buzz the mini chopper until mostly chopped. Remove the lid and add the remaining olive oil. Run the mini chopper until the pesto is completely blended and emulsified. Add the red wine vinegar and buzz a few times.
- Serve at room temperature if using as part of an appetizer tray or store in an airtight container, such as a jar, in the refrigerator. When storing, I recommend covering the pesto with a little olive oil. This keeps it from drying out on the top.
Liz
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a good week!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I really loved it!
Suze
HI Susan! This looks great (and easy!). Any idea how much of the 1 cup yield you might use on a 2-3 oz serving of pasta? Or how many ice cubes worth? Thanks much!! (I see a potential camping meal here!) 😉
Amanda E
Hi! I generally fully fill 6 standard ice cubes with the 1 cup batch - and then once frozen I pop them in to ziploc bags.
Suze
I do that also Amanda. But then how many do you use for a serving?
Amanda E
1 cube for 4 servings (1/2 lb pasta) - will generally add a touch more olive oil after tossing.
Suze
Perfect Amanda! Thanks so much! I will make my cubes a bit smaller! 😉
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad you guys commented back and forth on this. For me, 1/2 pound pasta used a little more than 2 tablespoons, but feel free to do it do your own taste preferences. It would be PERFECT for camping!!
Suze
Feeling left out of the loop, eh Susan? LOL!! A normal "cube" would be about two tablespoons, so for 4 oz of pasta, for 2 people, I'm thinking 1 cube will be enough. I'll report back! 🙂
Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Love this, now I need to go and buy some more Sun Dried tomatoes so I can make this for me. Great SRC choice.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Sid! It was so, so good!!
danielle
It sounds so simple and so delicious!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Lunch was ready in the amount of time it took to cook the pasta :-). And it reheated beautifully for dinner!!
Sarah
Oh this looks good! I think it would be amazing on a pizza.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
It would be wonderful on a pizza!! Thanks Sarah!
Leslie Limon
What a great recipe to have on hand!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I completely agree, Leslie. I love having condiments like this on hand for quick and easy meals!!
Amanda E
I just made a batch last week and still have a few ice cubes in the freezer for next time.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I absolutely loved it. I keep some condiments on hand for easy vegetarian dinners, and this one will be one I'll always have on hand. I can see so many uses for it!! Thanks so much - and I loved going through your blog!!
Leigh
What a great recipe to whip up during the week. Love the pop of red!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Perfect for a weeknight meal too during the school year!
Anna
That sounds really good. I will have to buy some sundried tomatoes soon just so I can try it.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I really highly recommend this recipe. It's perfect when you're in a rush for dinner (which happens regularly here :-))!
cheri
Hi Susan, once again you have created a note worthy recipe. Can't wait to try this one myself. Love it!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much cheri! I was in Portland last week and caught the heat wave. I know you're further south, and luckily on the coast - hopefully it was cooler there.
Marie @ Not Enough Cinnamon.com
I love sun dried tomato pesto, such a great twist on the traditional one!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass
Dear Susan, I loved learning more about Secret Recipe club. Sounds fun. And what a great recipe from Amanda! Looks delicious and easy.
Anne Brackett
We enjoyed it on angel hair pasta. Yum.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know!