I never thought I would ever make my own pesto on a regular basis! Seriously, I've never been much for the classic basil one... maybe it's too herby? Too strong? Or am I just not used to the taste of fresh basil? I don't know, anyway, this tomato one is a whole other story.
This pesto is full of tomato flavor and together with the almonds, dried herbs and freshness from the lemon, it will just play on your taste buds!
It is extremely easy to reach for a jar of ready-made pesto in the store these days and lately, I have found myself buying these jars quite often. No wonder why! With pesto, you can whip up a great dinner or lunch in no time , or a quick little meal for your guests, so it's great to have on hand all the time.
But one day I thought, why not try it at home? All I had to do was make it once and I never bought pre-made pesto from the store again. In fact, making such pesto is extremely easy and the taste is unbeatable! Plus, I can make as much as I want and save some money by making it at home!
Tomato pesto may sound a bit bland to some, but just think about it - almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs and lemon? That sounds so much better! In fact, it's something EXTRA, something delicious, something you can treat yourself with but at the same time you can eat it every day!
Why make homemade red pesto?
Homemade pesto has totally amazed me and I believe it will amaze you too! Do you still need any proof why to make red pesto at home? Read on!
- It has an unbeatable taste - the intense flavor of sun-dried tomatoes dominates the pesto, followed by subtle almonds and fragrant lemon. You'll just want to have this pesto in every meal and at any time of the day, just like I do!
- It is so versatile! - you can make your pesto thinner or thicker! Thicker pesto is great on toast, as a spread, or to flavor sauces. While a more liquid pesto will take the place of sauce altogether! Put it on pizza instead of sugo or stir it into spaghetti. You'll have the fastest meal in the world!
- Made from just a few ingredients - for this pesto you only need what you probably already have at home! Except lemon, all the ingredients can be kept in the pantry at all times, so you can make this pesto whenever you feel like it
- It's really quick to make - it's as quick as throwing all the ingredients in a blender!
- Make a big batch - it is very convenient, if not necessary, to make a large quantity of this pesto and then take it out of the fridge as needed. The fact is that the pesto contains a lot of oil (like a LOT of oil), so it preserves the pesto well.
- Use tomatoes from the harvest - if you have a large tomato harvest, why not use them to make this pesto? Just chop the tomatoes, dry them in the oven and pour olive oil over them, then use according to the recipe!
What is actually pesto?
Pesto is basically a cold sauce, which is made (originally) in a mortar, where the ingredients are pounded finely to form a paste (i.e. pesto). This is then used in cold or hot dishes as a condiment.
One of the best-known types is Genovese pesto, which consists of fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and olive oil.
What ingredients are used to make pesto?
The great thing about pesto is that it can be made from almost anything! Just follow a simple formula and you can't go wrong:
A simple formula for making pesto and what every good pesto should contain:
- fresh herbs or vegetables (basil, coriander, parsley, mint, sun-dried tomatoes, grilled peppers, peas, etc.)
- nuts or seeds (almonds, pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds)
- garlic (at least a little)
- cheese or nutritional yeast (Pecorino, Parmesan, Gran Moravia,...)
- seasonings (lemon, spices, dried herbs, pepper,...)
- salt (ideally coarse sea salt)
- olive oil (extra virgin)
Don't be afraid to experiment with the ingredients! You can come up with the most interesting combinations and unusual flavors. :))
I've already shared with you a recipe for a wonderful coriander pesto! If you have a lot of fresh coriander leaves in your garden, I definitely recommend it! You can find it HERE.
And I'll share with you two other combinationsAnd I'll share with you two other combinations that I love to make, but they are best if used immediately!
- fresh peas (thawed) + sunflower seeds + lemon + garlic + parmesan - > this makes a great spaghetti sauce, along with arugula and a few tomatoes
- grilled peppers + walnuts + gorgonzola -> tastes great on steak or other roasted or grilled meat and vegetables
What is nutritional yeast and why do I like to use it?
Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that is used as a flavoring powder. Due to its cheese-like taste, it is very often used by vegans or people who normally avoid eating cheese. I am neither vegan nor do I avoid cheese. So why do I use it in this pesto?
Simply because I don't usually have parmesan cheese on hand. Whereas nutritional yeast has the advantage that it stores easily in the pantry. Parmesan is not the main ingredient in the pesto, besides the flavor is more dominated by almonds and sun-dried tomatoes. The nutritional yeast enhances their flavor, adds B vitamins and is a fraction of the price of parmesan! So perfect for pesto!
How to make sun-dried tomato pesto and how to store it?
Put all the ingredients in a bowl or directly into a blender and blend. You can also use a regular immersion blender. In this case, I recommend chopping the almonds into smaller pieces first.
The tomato pesto is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge and ideally used within seven days. Leftovers also freeze easily.
TIPS:
- the almonds can also be toasted in a pan or roasted in the oven first, so the flavor is more pronounced
- you can also use a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan instead of nutritional yeast
- when grating the lemon zest, make sure you only grate the yellow part (the white part is bitter)
- you can also replace part of the almonds with walnuts or cashews
Recipe
Recipe for 350 g
Sun-dried tomato pesto
Ingredients:
- 180 g jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (ideally already chopped)
or 110 g soft dried tomatoes - 80 g (4 tbsp) almonds natural or blanched
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (swap for Parmesan cheese)
- 0,5 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
- 1 small clove of garlic
- olive oil
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients in a processor and blend. Add olive oil as needed and desired thickness (about 80-100 ml).
Note:
- The pesto can also be made using an immersion blender. In this case, I recommend to roughly chop the almonds and tomatoes first and then blend.
- Store the pesto in the fridge in an airtight container.
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