Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Flavour packed, lip smacking and delicious sundried tomato pesto pasta is an ultimate easy, comforting, quick pasta recipe perfect for lunch or dinner. It is vegan, vegetarian, can be made gluten free and gets ready in less than 20 minutes.

Pesto basically refers to the Italian sauce or condiment made by blending fresh herbs like basil, garlic, olive oil and nuts. The word pesto originates from Italian word ‘pestare‘ which translates to ‘pound‘ in english. Though basil pesto is more popular version, you will be surprised by the bold vibrant sweet-tart flavours of this sundried tomato pesto.

This is not a typical saucy pasta laden with heavy cream or cheese and ideal for summers. We begin the recipe by first making pesto by blending sun dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, nuts together which barely takes 5 minutes. It will then be tossed with cooked spaghetti (or any pasta of choice) along with some pasta-water to get silky smooth delicious pasta.

You can make this red pesto ahead of time, store in fridge and use it for making pasta, salads, dip or as a spread over rustic artisan bread slice. The tomato pasta recipe shared here is-

Vegan
Vegetarian
Can be made gluten free
Easy & quick dinner recipe
Perfect for summer lunch or picnics

It’s peak summer season here and I just keep looking for one-pot or simple meal recipes which I can make quickly without spending too much time in kitchen. If you are someone like me then apart from this sun-dried tomato pesto pasta, also do try out this effortless refreshing lemon garlic pasta or air fryer feta tomato pasta recipe.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Ingredients

Pasta- Use regular pasta like fusilli, spaghetti, capellini, fettuccine or gluten free pasta variety of your choice.

Sun dried Tomatoes- In comparison to regular fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes have have more concentrated intense flavour packed in them. There are two types of packaging available for them: first is ‘dry packed‘ in sealed bags and the second one is ‘oil packed‘ where they are submerged in oil in jars.

Though either can be used for pesto, but I would suggest using oil packed ones as they are already soft-plump & hence easier to blend. The packed ones need to be rehydrated in hot water or you will have to add more olive oil while blending them.

Garlic- I think any pasta recipe would be incomplete without some garlic. A little amount goes long way, so don’t add too much as otherwise its taste and aroma can overpower other flavours.

Olive Oil- Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for making pesto. You can even use the oil in sun-dried tomatoes jar.

Parmesan- It adds flavour, richness and texture to the pasta. If you are making vegan pasta then use ‘vegan parmesan’ or nutritional yeast for similar taste.

Nuts- If you want to make nut free pasta skip it else use any unsalted toasted nuts like pine nuts, almonds or walnuts.

Basil- Fresh Italian basil tastes best in pesto but if you don’t have it, you can use dried basil also.

Variations:

To make this pasta more nutritious, you can add veggies or protein of your choice like mushrooms, chicken, spinach, broccoli, artichokes or roasted vegetables.
Apart form the above mentioned ingredients, you can add other herbs like rosemary, oregano or chilli flakes.
To add more flavour to pasta, you can even add some tomato paste, roasted tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers or a splash of balsamic vinegar while making pesto.

Tomato Pesto Uses:

Apart from pasta or lasagna, I love using tomato pesto while making naan pizza or this cheesy garlic bread. It is great as topping on crostini or bruschetta too. To make a yummy dip for charcuterie board, blend this sun-dried tomato pesto with some cream cheese and everyone will love it.

You can even use this pesto as salad dressing or as spread in sandwiches. It can be blended in soups like tomato beetroot soup or roasted tomato garlic soup for more flavour.

Hope you would like this sun dried tomato pasta pesto. More vegetarian / vegan pasta recipes:

Ingredients :

Pasta / Gluten free pasta (uncooked)- 6 oz (170 gms)
Sun Dried Tomatoes- 1 cup (drained from oil)
Garlic Cloves- 3 to 4
Fresh Basil leaves- 1/2 cup
Pine Nuts / Almonds- 1/4 cup (toasted & unsalted)
Sea Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
Black pepper (crushed)- 1/4 tsp
Parmesan / Vegan Parmesan- 2 tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 3 to 4 tbsp

Notes:

I have use oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (shown in pic above). If you are using dry-packed sun dried tomatoes, then rehydrate them by dipping them in hot water for 15-20 min. Drain and then use.
To make pasta nut free, skip adding any nuts.
Instead of vegan parmesan, you can use nutritional yeast also.
If you are using oil-packed tomatoes, you can even use the oil in the jar.

Directions:

Step 1:
Heat water in a pan or pot. Add salt to it and boil pasta as per packet instructions. While the pasta is boiling, let’s prepare tomato pesto.

Step 2:
Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil leaves, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan, salt and black pepper in a food processor jar (If you wish you can also add 1 tsp balsamic vinegar or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes here).

Step 3:
Start blending in pulses. Scrape from sides in between and continue pulsing till all ingredients are chopped very finely (For dry packed tomatoes, you might need more olive oil.)

Step 4:
Drain the pasta while reserving some of the pasta water. Add half of the pesto to the same pan in which we boiled pasta (store remaining pesto in a jar in fridge). Add 2-3 tbsp of reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of pesto, mix well and toss the pasta in it. The pasta water helps the sauce stick to the noodles.

Transfer it to serving bowl or dish and garnish with some more parmesan or fresh basil before serving. The pasta can be enjoyed hot, warm or it tastes good even at room temp in summers.

(Half of the prepared pesto is used in 6 oz pasta. If you are making 10-12 oz pasta, use the entire batch of pesto.)

How to store and reheat leftover pasta?

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in fridge for 3-4 days. For reheating, Add a splash of water (or pasta water) and microwave for 30-50 seconds.

Tips:

If you are not planning to make pasta straightaway, then make pesto in advance (skip adding parmesan) and store it in an airtight glass jar in fridge. It can easily be stored for 5-6 days. Use it whenever you want to make pasta.
Sometimes after chilling, the pesto thickens up (due to solidification of cheese & oil). If you are planning to use it as spread, then bring it to room temperature first by leaving on kitchen counter for sometime.

Pin for later:

(Note: The recipe was originally published on May 18, 2016 and has been updated with better images, recipe and tips.)

If you try this red pesto pasta recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

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