My second Secret Recipe Club post for the day!
As I mentioned in an earlier post today, this month I'm helping the newest blogger in our Secret Recipe Club group and posting a second recipe. This one is a Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto from Amanda at the Dancing Veggies blog. It's super easy to make and so good that everyone should have it in their back pocket (or freezer!). I tossed a couple of tablespoons in some pasta and topped it with Parmesan cheese for a quick, satisfying lunch and had it again for dinner. Yes, it was that good. But let me back up for a minute in case you're unfamiliar with The Secret Recipe Club.
For the uninitiated, The Secret Recipe Club is a group of around 130 food bloggers, separated into four smaller blogging groups, each of which post at different times of the month. Every month, we’re each assigned a blog in our group to look through. We try a few recipes and chose one to post about. But all month, we keep our assignment a secret until ‘reveal day’. It’s been a lot of fun – and I’ve found some great new blogs to follow and new recipes to add to my rotation.
Dancing Veggies is a perfect blog for me – Amanda's tag is ‘Cooking Healthy Vegetarian Food on a Budget' – and it's a perfect blog for you all to check out. She's a self-described mostly ova-lacto-vegetarian with occasional fish – which is a great way to sum up my own blog. AND, she specializes in recipes that are simple and quick, with easy-to-find ingredients. This Sun-Dried Pesto is a perfect example of that. So are her Spicy Chili Carrots, Corn Bisque with Avocado, and her Peach Dutch Baby recipes. And did I mention she loves dessert too?
This wonderful pesto comes together with ingredients I'll bet you have on hand. And I highly recommend you making extra and freezing it in little ziplock baggies, small containers, or ice-cube trays.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (with Pasta)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil around 6 leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Place everything into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and puree. Add more olive oil as needed.
- Stir into your favorite pasta, whole grains (I'm thinking farro here!), a vinaigrette for a salad, over steamed vegetables or a baked potato, or on your next pizza. In all cases, finish it off with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Liz says
Thank you for the nice recipe. Have a good week!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much! I really loved it!
Suze says
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 says
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 says
I do that also Amanda. But then how many do you use for a serving?
Amanda E says
1 cube for 4 servings (1/2 lb pasta) – will generally add a touch more olive oil after tossing.
Suze says
Perfect Amanda! Thanks so much! I will make my cubes a bit smaller! 😉
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I’m so glad you guys commented back and forth on this! I didn’t do ice cubes with it, but used it right away. For me, 1/2 pound pasta was a little more than 2 tablespoons, but feel free to do it do your own taste preferences. It would be PERFECT for camping!!
Suze says
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 says
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 says
Thanks Sid! It was so, so good!!
danielle says
It sounds so simple and so delicious!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Lunch was ready in the amount of time it took to cook the pasta :-). And it reheated beautifully for dinner!!
Sarah says
Oh this looks good! I think it would be amazing on a pizza. Great SRC choice!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
It would be wonderful on a pizza!! Thanks Sarah!
Leslie Limon says
What a great recipe to have on hand!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I completely agree, Leslie. I love having condiments like this on hand for quick and easy meals!!
Amanda E says
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 I just made a batch last week and still have a few ice cubes in the freezer for next time.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
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 says
What a great recipe to whip up during the week. Love the pop of red!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Perfect for a weeknight meal too during the school year!
Anna says
That sounds really good. I will have to buy some sundried tomatoes soon just so I can try it.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I really highly recommend this recipe. It’s perfect when you’re in a rush for dinner (which happens regularly here :-))!
cheri says
Hi Susan, once again you have created a note worthy recipe. Can’t wait to try this one myself. Love it!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
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 says
I love sun dried tomato pesto, such a great twist on the traditional one! Great pick 🙂
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Dear Susan, I loved learning more about Secret Recipe club. Sounds fun. And what a great recipe from Amanda! Looks delicious and easy.