Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso)

This Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipe is bound to become one of your new favorite sauces! Easy to make in a food processor with less than 10 ingredients, it’s a versatile umami bomb bursting with sweet, salty, and fresh Italian flavors. The perfect sauce to mix into pasta, brush on your chicken, and more!

I can’t stop myself from making a fresh batch of pesto every week in the summertime. I love it so much, I put it on pretty much everything! I love summer recipes, when I can enjoy fresh basil from my garden or farmers market. But leftover frozen pesto is something to look forward to during the winter months, too!

Playing around with different types of pesto recipes is lots of fun, too. From classic pesto alla Genovese (classic basil pesto) to my scrappy 5-Minute Garlic Scape Pesto, I’m always finding new ways to experiment with this delicious Italian condiment. 

This Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (AKA, pesto rosso or red pesto) is one of my new favorites because it’s practically bursting with savory, bold flavor. It’s just as versatile as green pesto, and comes together in a flash thanks to the 9 simple ingredients!

Whether you have a craving for pesto or you have a big jar of sun-dried tomatoes you need to use up, this recipe has your back.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy red pesto recipe from scratch:

• Fresh basil leaves. You can use basil leaves from a basil plant or buy pre-packaged Italian basil for this sauce. Just know that the basil must be fresh no matter the time of the year. Dried basil just isn’t as refreshing or peppery as the fresh leaves, meaning you won’t get the same flavorful results!
• Walnuts
• Olive oil. Look for a good quality extra virgin olive oil since the flavor will be so prominent in the finished sauce.
• Sun-dried tomatoes. Make sure you use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. The oil will add more body and rich flavor to the pesto. Tomatoes are high in glutamates, which provide the signature umami flavor of this type of pesto. Find them in the same aisle as roasted red peppers, capers, and olives.
• Garlic cloves
• Lemon juice
• Parmesan cheese. I highly recommend using freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of the pre-grated, store-bought stuff. Shredding the cheese yourself means you’ll experience the buttery, salty, and umami flavors to their fullest.
• Red pepper flakes
• Salt and black pepper

(full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card below)

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: Most traditional pesto recipes are made with pine nuts. These small, buttery nuts are the reason why traditional basil pesto is borderline addictive. However, their labor-intensive harvesting process and limited supply take their price sky-high, which is why I usually prefer to make pesto without pine nuts and use a more budget-conscious option, like walnuts, pecans, or other nuts and seeds. You can even use pistachios or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in place of pine nuts.

Swap and Substitutions

The goal of making pesto rosso recipe with sun-dried tomatoes is to put the fresh, peppery basil and umami-packed sun-dried tomatoes at the forefront of the sauce. This is why I don’t recommend straying too far from the original recipe.

There are, however, a few different ways you can make to make this recipe work better for you:

Not a big walnut fan? There are all kinds of alternatives! Instead of walnuts, make the pesto with cashews, almonds, or pecans. Or, if nut-free pesto is what you’re after, swap the nuts for sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds instead.

You’re also more than welcome to use pine nuts as a substitute for the walnuts for a more “authentic” or “traditional” style pesto.

For my dairy-free friends, simply replace the Parmesan cheese with an equal amount of nutritional yeast or shredded vegan Parmesan. The pesto won’t be as cheesy but will still have balanced layers of salt and umami. If you’re really missing the umami flavor, add a small pinch of MSG. 

Sometimes, for a more nutrient-dense spin, I’ll make pesto with a 1:1 mix of fresh basil and fresh spinach, arugula, or kale. I can’t help it! As a registered dietitian, I’m always looking for ways to put an extra nourishing twist on my recipes, and adding leafy greens is one of the easiest ways while also cutting down on the cost of fresh basil.

Just a pinch of red pepper flakes gives the pesto a subtle yet complementary heat. If you don’t like spicy food, feel free to omit the chili flakes from the recipe.

How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1. Wash and dry the basil leaves, then remove any thick stems. Place them in the bowl of the food processor.
2. Add the walnuts, along with the garlic cloves, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Run the food processor on low speed and slowly stream in the olive oil. 
4. Taste the pesto and adjust the flavor as needed. Or, add a little more olive oil to get your desired consistency.
5. Serve the sun-dried tomato pesto with your favorite recipe or store it for later. Enjoy!

Ways to Use Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

If you can resist eating this umami-packed pesto by the spoonful straight from the food processor, pair it with pasta! Just cook your favorite pasta shape according to package instructions. Strain, toss, and serve as a pesto rosso pasta dish.

There are tons of ways to use your homemade pesto in an easy meal. For example: 

• Dollop it over your eggs in the morning or drizzle it over a summer frittata.
• Include it on a charcuterie board or grazing board for a flavorful dip or spread with fresh or roasted vegetables, fresh bread, and crackers.
• Brush it over your cooked chicken breasts or thighs when you’re craving chicken sun-dried tomato pesto for dinner.
• Spread it on sandwiches and wraps.
• Use it as a dressing for salads and pasta salads.
• Spread it on this Caprese Avocado Toast with Pesto. Nothing beats a piece of crusty bread spread thick with fresh pesto!

And when the weather cools off and soup season rolls around, you can stir it into broth-based soups like my Chickpea Noodle Soup. 

Pesto Storage Tips

It’s best to use the sun-dried tomato pesto within a week of making it. If you don’t plan on serving it right away, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge.

Pesto tends to brown due to oxidation, but you can mitigate this by drizzling 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional olive oil over the top. This layer of oil will protect the leftover pesto and prevent the exposed top from browning.

Keep in mind that the oil will solidify in the fridge as it cools. Place the pesto on the kitchen counter for 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the sauce and the oil can come down to room temperature.

Sun-dried tomato pesto also freezes well! I find that the most convenient way is to pour it into silicone ice cube trays, freeze the pesto cubes until they’re solid, pack them into a large ziplock bag, and use the individual portions within 3 to 6 months.

To use the frozen pesto cubes, toss as many as you need in a saucepan until thawed, then combine the red pesto sauce with your favorite pasta dishes!

Red Pesto FAQs

How long can I freeze pesto?

Sun-dried tomato pesto will keep for 3 to 6 months in the freezer. Pour the sauce into ice cube trays, freeze the cubes until solid, then transfer them to an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Is sun-dried tomato pesto the same as pesto rosso?

Yes! Pesto rosso, or red pesto, is pesto made with tomatoes, basil, garlic, and oil. It can be made with fresh tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes, like in this recipe.

What else can I do with sun-dried tomatoes?

If you have leftover sun-dried tomatoes you want to use up, I’d recommend chopping them up and stirring them into a creamy Italian pasta or a cold pasta salad, topping them on a pizza, or baking them into a frittata.

If you loved making pesto with sun-dried tomatoes, leave a comment below or rate the recipe to let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!