Description
Earthy, slightly tangy, and slightly sweet, this red pesto is absolutely delicious. Smear it over chicken, spoon it onto toasted bread or use it as a dip. Plus it takes only minutes to make.
The default recipe serves 8 (8 tbsps)
Ingredients
Scale
- 100g / 3.5oz sundried tomatoes
- 10 large fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- 30g / 1oz pine nuts, toasted
- 30g / 1oz parmesan
- 4 tbsp / 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients and add them to a food processor (see note 2).
- Blitz the ingredients until just combined into an even and rough paste.
- Serve or spoon into jars. See note 6 for storage instructions.
Notes
- Toasting the pine nuts helps to significantly improve their flavour. To toast simply heat a small frying pan or skillet (no oil required) and toast, tossing often, for a few minutes until they are lightly browned.
- No food processor? No problem. You can also finely chop all the ingredients and combine. This is how pesto was traditionally made and you may actually prefer the result. But you’ll need to add a good 15-20 minutes of prep time.
- For best results use sun-dried tomatoes which have been kept in jars in oil.
- Pine nuts can be substituted for cashews or almonds.
- Fresh basil is a must for this recipe! So don’t be tempted to switch for dried.
- The pesto can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Pour oil over the pesto before refrigerating or freezing to prevent air from getting to the sauce and causing browning.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 9.5g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: pesto, sauce, dip, italian, vegetarian, easy