Sun-dried tomato pesto (Pesto Rosso) is a vibrant, robust, and rich homemade red pesto, made with just a handful of ingredients and perfect for adding to pasta, over proteins, in sandwiches, and more.
If you aren't using canned peppers or pre-roasted peppers, you’ll need to roast the red peppers. To do so:Slice the peppers In half, removing the seeds and ribs. Then place cut-side down on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil, and roast for around 25 minutes at 325ºF/170ºC (or until tender and lightly blackened on the skin).
Allow the peppers to steam and cool for 10 minutes in a jar/covered bowl before carefully peeling the skin away. Once peeled, allow the roasted peppers to cool.
Transfer all the red pesto ingredients to either a food processor or mortar and pestle and grind/blend the pesto into your desired consistency (chunky, smooth, or anything in between).
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Make ahead: you can roast the red peppers several (2-3) days in advance and store, peeled in a container in the fridge. You could also pre-prepare the sun-dried tomatoes in advance.Store: store any leftover tomato pesto sauce/paste in an airtight container (I use a jar) in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. The olive oil will solidify when chilled, but it will still be scoopable. It can quickly be brought back to room temperature before using (or add straight to any recipe where it’ll be coked like sun-dried tomato pesto pasta.Freeze: you can freeze this pesto with tomatoes in a large freezer-safe container. However, I prefer to portion it into 1 Tbsp portions in an ice-cube tray. Once frozen, transfer the pesto cubes to a Ziplock bag and store for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge or on the counter as needed.
Notes
Allow it to "marinate": while you can enjoy the pesto rosso immediately, it’ll taste even better after marinating for an hour (or, even better, overnight!).
Using dried vs. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes: if you use the latter, the tomatoes will already be slightly plump with oil, so you can reduce the amount in the recipe by a tablespoon or so.
If you use oil-packed tomatoes: make sure to use some of the oil from the jar. Having sat with the tomatoes, it’s wonderfully infused with flavor.
Easily adjust the consistency: you can decide how chunky or smooth you prefer your pesto with tomatoes based on how much you use the food processor/mortar and pestle. I prefer mine slightly chunky.
Use raw or toasted pine nuts: using toasted pine nuts (or almonds) will infuse the pesto rosso with extra flavor. Lightly toast in a skillet until fragrant.
Check the blog post for tons of optional add-ins, serving suggestions, and answer to top FAQs!