I have about 3 or 4 basil plants growing right now, so as you can imagine, I have an abundance of basil to work with these days. I am really trying to get as much as I can out of it, so I decided to make some pesto this weekend. I was planning on making the traditional basil pesto, but when I opened up Giada’s Everyday Italian cookbook I came across a sundried tomato pesto recipe that I’ve never tried. You may have read in an earlier post of mine that a recent trip to Costco has left me with a very large jar of sundried tomatoes in my refrigerator … so, sundried tomato pesto it was.
If you like sundried tomatoes, you’ve got to try this, its easy and you can work it into different meals. Giada suggests topping it over grilled fish, but I think it would work great with chicken too. I decided to make an easy dinner last night so I just tossed some into whole wheat penne for a light pasta dish.
Sundried Tomato Pesto
Recipe from Everyday Italian
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
If you add it to pasta, I recommend adding some additional olive oil to the pasta, then toss it all together.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, that looks good! Love pesto with sun dried tomatoes.
We are big fans of the sundried tomato pesto around here! I love how easy it is to make as well. Yours looks wonderful!
Yum, Aggie! I have Giada’s cookbook with that pesto recipe…I’ll have to try it pretty soon when my basil starts going crazy. Did it make enough for you to freeze some?
Yum! I love the sound of this pesto – I LOVE sundried tomatoes!
I’ve made this recipe many times! I love it. It’s one of Jiada’s best in my opinion. I’ve even done it with the dry tomatoes (not oil packed) and soaked them in boiling water just to save a few calories. I’m off to look at your flank steak recipe. I love soy based marinades with beef. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your kind words. It makes my day!:)
I make this all the time-I love it on a ciabatta roll with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and a little bit of basil…mmmm.
Hey You! Welcome to The Foodie Blogroll!
Leah – It made enough to freeze some for probably one additional meal. I had leftovers in the fridge for a week, should have frozen it instead!
Prudy – Hope you like the marinade!
Veronica – That sounds REALLY good!
Jenn – Thanks for the welcome! =)
Hi. this was my first time on your blog. Lovely pictures. the sun dried pesto recipe looks very interesting. I think it will go well with chicken too. I’ll try it and will let you know how it went. I’ll have to buy basil from the market though as I doubt whether anyone in Bombay can have a garden in our crowded city, Bombay. So i really envy your garden
We’ve been using a similar recipe from the Vegetarian Times/Mediterranean cookbook. It’s super on a grilled vegetable sandwich (focaccia with zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and onions).
We also love it as a topping for pizza (no need for sauce!).
best