Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Savory, rich and unconventional, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto is an easy condiment or dip. Add to pasta, sandwiches, crostini, and more.
It was probably a decade ago when I first tried Sun Dried tomato Pesto. One of my CSA owners brought it to an event–and I had to have the recipe.
Alas, when I tried it myself, it wasn’t as good. So I put the recipe away.
Thankfully when I decided to revisit it for today’s Farmers Market Week post, I managed to find the recipe–and my notes. A few small tweaks later, it got a unanimous thumbs up at last weekend’s Saturday brunch!
This recipe can be made with commercial sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained) or your own dried tomatoes (rehydrated).
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. With a burst of sun dried tomato flavor and undertones of herbs and olive oil, this delivers beautiful complex flavor
Easy. Rinse commercial dried tomatoes in oil, or re-hydrate homemade dried tomatoes, then process the ingredients in a food processor. Easy-peasy.
Versatile. Just like basil pesto, this can be put to use a lot of places. Serve it alone as a dip or spread, smear it on a sandwich or bagel, mix into pasta. All yum!
Step by Step Overview
If using commercial sun dried tomatoes in oil, drain the oil (you can save if you want). If using homemade dried tomatoes, top with hot water, then wait 10-15 minutes for them to rehydrate and drain the excess water.
Measure out the correct amount of tomatoes. Do not pack the measuring cup.
Starting with the smaller amount of olive oil, add the ingredients to a small food processor.
Process until well blended, stopping and scraping the sides of the food processor as needed. If it seems too thick to use as a soft spread, add additional oil.
Variations
In a big pesto mood now? One of our favorites is lemon balm pesto. I’d even grow lemon balm just to make pesto with it!
And if all this has you really thinking “beyond the basil” consider substituting cilantro in your basil pesto recipe. As long as you don’t think it tastes like soap!
Tips & FAQs
If I’m using my homemade dried tomatoes I usually cut them up smaller before rehydrating them.
Pine nuts are expensive, but they are special, so I decided to use them here. But for years I’ve used any nut I had around to make basil pesto. So feel free to substitute another nut if it better fits your budget. Or if it’s already in your pantry!
Can I use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes? If you like the taste of the olive oil in your jar, you can certainly use it in this recipe. Just drain the tomatoes, measure the oil from the jar and use the amount the recipe calls for.
I generally find, however, that the oil in the jars is a lot less tasty than the extra virgin olive oil I use at home. So I’ve written the recipe to use fresh olive oil. But if you are considering this, kudos to you for less waste. Just be sure to taste the jarred oil first to make sure you like it.
And for more great Farmer’s Market Week recipes…
- Green Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Arugula, and Basil Dressing by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Magical Ingredients
- Easy Chicken Stir-Fry by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- French Green Bean Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Grilled Zucchini Carbonara by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Jalapeno Corn Cakes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles by Rave About Food
- Ratatouille by That Recipe
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup rehydrated home dried tomatoes or drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- ¼- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil start with the lower amount and add more as needed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 stems fresh basil leaves only
- ¼- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- If using commercial sun dried tomatoes in oil, drain the oil (you can save if you want-see note). If using homemade dried tomatoes, top with hot water, then wait 10-15 minutes for them to rehydrate and drain the excess water.
- Measure out the correct amount of tomatoes. Do not pack the measuring cup.
- Starting with the smaller amount of olive oil, add the ingredients to a small food processor.
- Process until well blended, stopping and scraping the sides of the food processor as needed. If it seems too thick to use as a soft spread, add additional oil.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed.