Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Sun-dried tomato pesto, which is also called “pesto rosso” or “pesto alla Trapanese” is a nice variation from the famous “pesto alla Genovese”. It usually requires Pecorino cheese but I decided to make it vegan, using nutritional yeast instead.
Sun-dried tomatoes
I used Scarpone’s sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, 250 ml jar.
If you’re using another brand, you will need 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (130g) and 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of olive oil (90 ml).
Keep in mind that these sun-dried tomatoes are marinated in olive oil with salt and condiment. Taste the pesto before adding any salt.
Almonds
You can use almonds in any shape you like, and even roast them to add to some extra flavors. I used the almond pulp I got back when I made almond milk. Just make it easy for your blender, if it’s not very powerful, use sliced or ground almonds.
Almond is the nut traditionally used in pesto rosso. But you can replace it with pine nut, pistachio or even raw sunflower seed for a nut free version.
Making pesto
Making pesto is as easy as it gets. There is a necessary tool though, a stand blender.
Depending on how powerful yours is, you might want to spare it a bit and roughly pre-chop the sun-dried tomatoes and basil, and use sliced or ground almonds instead of whole ones.
If you have a powerful device, just put the whole ingredients in the jar and let the magic happen!
What to eat with pesto?
Pesto can be enjoyed in many ways : with pasta, risotto, roasted veggies, or in a salad. Mixed in a soup or a dip, or spread on bruschetta.
Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
Equipment
- Stand blender
Ingredients
- 1 small jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (250 ml) – see notes
- 4 tbsp almonds (45 g) – see notes
- 8 basil leaves
- ½ garlic clove
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (10 g)
- salt and pepper – to taste, see notes
Instructions
- Put the sun-dried tomatoes with olive oil, almonds, basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast in the jar of your stand blender. Mix to a smooth paste.
- Put in a air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
I used Scarpone’s sun-dried tomatoes in olive, 250 ml jar. If you’re using another brand, you will need 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (130g) and 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of olive oil (90 ml).
You can use almonds in any shape you like, and even roast them to add to some extra flavors. Just make it easy for your blender, if it’s not very powerful, use sliced or ground almonds.
Almond is the nut traditionally used in pesto rosso. But you can replace it with pine nut, pistachio or even raw sunflower seed for a nut free version.
If your blender is not very powerful, roughly pre-chop the sun-dried tomatoes and basil, and use sliced or ground almonds instead of whole ones.
Taste pesto before seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes and nutritional yeast are salty, you might not need to add any salt.
Pesto can be enjoyed in many ways : with pasta, risotto, roasted veggies, or in a salad. Mixed in a soup or a yogurt dip, or spread on bruschetta.
Calories are per one serving of the recipe