Sun-dried tomato pesto isn’t only made for pasta. It is also great as a sandwich spread, a dip, on eggs, or a dollop in a bowl of soup. You know what else? It’s also wonderfully delicious spread on my roasted and charred cabbage steaks. I’m not going to wax poetic and tell you stories about the origin of this recipe or my grandmother. If you like sun-dried tomatoes, just make this — I’m confident enough to say you’ll be food-orgasm glad you did.
Try my other pesto recipes, too:
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Ingredients
* 1 cup (5.5 ounces or 155 grams) sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and roughly chopped
* 3 ounces or 85 grams Parmesan, roughly chopped
* 1/2 cup nuts (about 60 – 70 grams) (I use almonds for slightly sweeter pesto. Alternatively use walnuts or pistachios for a richer, earthier taste)
* 3/4 – 1 cup oil (175 – 240 ml) Either use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, which is usually sunflower oil, or use olive oil)
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
* Either 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (I use this in the fall/winter) OR 3 large leaves of fresh basil (I use this in the spring/summer)
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red chili flakes
* As needed, up to 2 tablespoons water to thin the pesto
Directions
- Place the chopped Parmesan, nuts, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and ground chili flakes in the bowl of a food processor. Process until you reach a fine, sandy texture. Alternatively, you may use a mortar and pestle to crush all these ingredients into a paste
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the food processor bowl and process. Note: You may need to scrape down the bowl several times to get the tomatoes to fully incorporate into the nut and cheese mixture
- Slowly add the oil while the food processor is running until you reach your desired consistency. After adding all the listed oil, add a tablespoon of water at a time, as needed, if your pesto is too thick. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to one week
Greg Nelson Cooks 