Easiest Red Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato
- Makes 6 servings
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 2 minutes
- Total 7 minutes
This is the easiest Red Pesto recipe made with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and lemon. This sun-dried tomato pesto is whipped up using a blender in less than 5 minutes giving you an umami, rich and intensely flavoured spread that can be used in so many ways, good!
Sun-dried tomatoes are so rich and intense in flavour we love them and often add them to meals like our Sun Dried Tomato Pasta With Roasted Red PepperCreamy Tomato and Stracchino Pasta or Roasted Red Pepper Soup for an extra punch of flavour!
This red pesto is made almost entirely from jarred sun-dried tomatoes so you know the flavour is going to be insane!
It truly is as simple as recipes get, we mean it takes 2 minutes and it's done!
Spread this pesto on some chargrilled crostini and top with dollops of fresh ricotta and torn basil leaves for a quick and good appetizer or snack.
Omg so good it's one of our favourite ways to serve it!
We also love sharing platters or antipasti boards with lots of different little good bites to eat. Serve this pesto alongside some marinated olives, cured meats, cheese and you are set!
Well, don't forget the cocktails!
Ingredients – What You Need to Make it
- Sun-dried tomatoes – We use jarred sun-dried tomatoes in oil they are usually marinated in herbs and have more than enough seasoning so there is no need to add any salt to this pesto what so ever!
- Lemon – freshly squeezed lemon juice adds freshness and adds so much flavour!
- garlic – fresh garlic only
To Serve (optional)
- Ricotta & Basil – The pesto is so rich and intense in flavour that the ricotta helps to mellow the flavours whilst adding freshness, so good!
- Crostini – chargrilled
How to Make Red Pesto – Step by Step
Spoon the sun dried tomatoes out the jar and add to a bowl with garlic and lemon juice.
Blitz it into a smooth paste using a handheld blender adding a tablespoon of reserved oil from the sun-dried tomato jar as needed.
More Serving Suggestions and How to Use it
You can store this pesto in the fridge and add a spoonful to tomato pasta sauces it's a easy way to add a punch of flavour.
You can also use it to stuff chicken, add a spoonful with a little mozzarella and serve with your favourite sides, YUM!
If you love the idea of serving this red pesto as part of a sharing or antipasti platter then here is what we'd serve it with
- Marinated olives – this is a quick 5 min recipe and so much cheaper than store-bought gourmet olives
- Cured meats and cheeses – choose a selection of your favourites personally we love Prosciutto Crudo, Finnochiona (fennel salami) and Pecorino (a semi-hard variety).
- Artichoke Dip – Parmesan, Lemon and Garlic – this is quick and fresh tasting (not the creamy spinach type)
- Chargrilled Crostini – ciabatta bread drizzle with olive oil and grilled on a griddle pan then sprinkled with salt
Drinks that Would go Well
If you're looking for some drinks to go with your nibbles then here are some good cocktails that you don't want to miss out on
- Limoncello Martini (Lemon Drop Martini)
- Classic Peach Bellini Cocktail
- Aperol Spritz Cocktail
- Classic Campari Cocktail – Spritz
- Sparkling Limoncello Cocktail
Top Tips for Making Red Pesto
- Use sun-dried tomatoes that are jarred in oil and scoop them out before blending. We like to keep the jarred oil in case the pesto is too thick and needs a little help to become smoother. add a little at a time until you get the right consistency.
- DO NOT season the pesto with salt until you have tasted it, high chances are that is doesn't need any at all because sun-dried tomatoes are already well seasoned.
- You can also add in some pine nuts for a nutty flavour keep some oil as you'll need it to blend the pesto.
- If you're not using the pesto the same day then store it in a jar and cover it with oil. It'll keep well in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze this pesto and thaw as needed.
More pesto recipes to try
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
- 2 cups sun dried tomatoes in oil ((300g))
- 1 clove garlic
- squeeze of lemon
- 3-4 tbsp reserved oil from jar
Method
Spoon the sun dried tomatoes into a bowl, do not add all the oil just as much as comes out when transferring them into a bowl.
Add the garlic, and squeeze of lemon to the bowl. Blitz it all together to a thick paste using a handheld blender.
Kitchen notes
- Use sun-dried tomatoes that are jarred in oil and scoop them out before blending. We like to keep the jarred oil in case the pesto is too thick and needs a little help to become smoother. add a little at a time until you get the right consistency.
- DO NOT season the pesto with salt until you have tasted it, high chances are that is doesn't need any at all because sun-dried tomatoes are already well seasoned.
- You can also add in some pine nuts for a nutty flavour keep some oil as you'll need it to blend the pesto.
- If you're not using the pesto the same day then store it in a jar and cover it with oil. It'll keep well in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze this pesto and thaw as needed.
