• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Eat Dessert Snack

Official Site

Header Right

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
  • Dinners
  • Seasonal
    • Fall Recipes
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • About
    • Privacy & Disclosure
    • Contact Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home ‣ Recipes ‣ Sauces Dips & Dressings

    Red Pesto Sauce

    Jun 2, 2021 · Modified: Dec 19, 2021 by Sara · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    red peston in white bowl with basil leaves and text overlay.
    red peston in white bowl with basil leaves and text overlay.

    Red Pesto Sauce is made with sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, basil, and a delicious amount of parmesan. 

    This is a quick italian pasta sauce recipe that is different than traditional green pesto sauce that I also know and love dearly. It's full of bright flavors and pairs wonderfully with Fluffy French Bread and your favorite pasta. IT'S PURE MAGIC.

    Red Pesto Sauce in white bowl with basil leaves

    Red Pesto

    Red pesto or pesto rosso is made with very similar ingredients to pesto alla genovese (green pesto), the version I grew up familiar with. Disclaimer: I am not italian, but I do love italian food. This is not a strictly traditional recipe, but it is pretty close. Some varieties also include roasted red peppers or pepper flakes for extra smokiness and spice.

    You can make this red pesto the traditional way in a mortar with pestle, or in a blender or food processor like I prefer to do.

    What is red pesto made of?

    Here's the basic list of ingredients for what you need to make red pesto sauce at home:

    • Sun Dried Tomatoes - bottled, packed in olive oil
    • Olive oil - good quality
    • Garlic - fresh or minced
    • Parmesan - fresh grated, could also use pecorino romano
    • Basil - fresh fresh fresh
    • Tomato Paste
    • Fresh lemon juice/zest- for a little more acidity and flavor
    • Pine nuts - you can also use blanched almonds or cashews
    • Sea salt

    sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, basil, olive oil and salt in food processor.

    How do you make pesto?

    You can use a few different methods: the traditional mortar and pestle, or food processor/blender.

    • Food processor/blender: combine all ingredients and blend until emulsified and smooth, it will be a thick sauce.
    • Mortar/pestle:
      • In large mortar, combine pine nuts, basil, garlic, salt, lemon zest and juice.
      • Start working with the pestle, pressing and rotating it. Continue a few minutes until all the ingredients are finely ground. Add parmesan cheese and tomato paste and mix in well.
      • Chop sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces then add to mortar with other ingredients. Crush/pound 5-10 minutes until finely ground. Add olive oil as needed while mixing until full amount is added.

    Blended red pesto sauce in food processor.

    What's the difference between red and green pesto?

    The main difference between red and green pesto is the presence of sun-dried tomatoes.

    Red pesto uses sun dried tomatoes (fresh tomatoes are used more in pesto alla trapanese - sicilian pesto, with almonds instead of pine nuts), while green pesto mainly uses a large amount of fresh basil for the bulk of its volume. They both contain garlic, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt, olive oil, and basil. Several varieties use walnuts, almonds, or cashews in place of pine nuts.

    Red Pesto in white bowl with crostini.

    What do you eat red pesto with?

    • Pasta! Cook your favorite variety according to package directions and serve it up with red pesto and freshly grated parmigiano romano.
    • Chicken, steak, pork chops, or white fish - use as a marinade, stuff inside, or brush over cooked meat just before serving to make an unforgettable meal.
    • Bread - spread over crostinis, crusty french bread, or in the middle of a melty grilled cheese sandwich. OMG.
    • Pizza- can be used in place of pizza/marinara sauce.
    • Dip/salad dressing base - the possibilities are endless. Veggie dip, cracker dip, bread dip, cheese dip??? You be the master of your own destiny.
    • Pesto butter- make a compound butter and elevate your roasted veggies and scrambled eggs to new heights.

    Red pesto on cavatappi pasta in white bowl with parmesan on marble.

    Trust me when I say that red pesto is the sauce of your dreams! If you're looking for a different italian pasta sauce, this is one for the books.

    Red Pesto Sauce in white bowl with basil leaves
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Red Pesto Sauce

    Red Pesto Sauce is an easy italian sauce made with sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, basil, and a delicious amount of parmesan. 
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    0 minutes mins
    Total Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Easy Italian Sauce, Pesto Rosso, Pesto Sauce, Red Pesto Sauce
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 208kcal
    Author: Sara

    Equipment

    • Food Processor or mortar and pestle

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup pine nuts
    • ⅓ cup fresh basil leaves (about 15 leaves)
    • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped about 1 Tablespoon
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest (one lemon)
    • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
    • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
    • 8 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
    • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Instructions

    If using blender or food processor:

    • Combine all ingredients, including oil in jar of sun-dried tomatoes in blender or food processor.
    • Blend/pulse until smooth and saucy, 1-2 minutes. It will be a thick sauce.

    If using mortar and pestle:

    • In large mortar, combine pine nuts, basil, garlic, salt, lemon zest and juice.
    • Start working with the pestle, pressing and rotating it. Continue a few minutes until all the ingredients are finely ground. Add parmesan cheese and tomato paste and mix in well.
    • Chop sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces then add to mortar with other ingredients. Crush/pound 5-10 minutes until finely ground. Add olive oil as needed while mixing until full amount is added.

    Notes

    If using a mortar and pestle, you may have to mix in batches. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 533mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 529IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg

    PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:

    Red Pesto in white bowl on marble with text overlay

     

    More All Recipes

    • Baked lemon zucchini poppyseed loaf sliced on a wood cutting board.
      Lemon Zucchini Bread with Greek Yogurt
    • Pan of cooked lobster mac and cheese on blue pot holder with wooden spoon.
      Lobster Mac and Cheese
    • White bowl of Valentines trail mix with red and white striped towel in background.
      Valentines Trail Mix
    • Baked raspberry donut cookies on metal pan.
      Raspberry Donut Cookies
    • View Eat Dessert Snack’s profile on Facebook
    • View eatdessertsnack’s profile on Twitter
    • View eatdessertsnack’s profile on Instagram
    • View Sara@eatdessertsnack’s profile on Pinterest

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda

      July 15, 2021 at 3:15 pm

      I got a nasty sun burn the other day and this pesto sure helped! The sunburn is still there but I didn't much care whilst I was eating this with some fancy noodles and garlic bread. I tell ya, this will take ur mind of of whatever ails ya. Sunburn, bad breakup, that thing you did when you were a kid and have never told anyone about but it still haunts you, none of it matters when you're eating this stuff.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Sara. Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.

    More about me →


    Popular Recipes

    • Baked loaf of fluffy french bread on wood table with towel, butter, and knife.
      Soft Fluffy French Bread
    • Cooked Cherry Pie Filling.
      Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
    • Baked Orange Rolls in a metal pan with orange icing. text overlay.
      Best Homemade Orange Rolls
    • Raw Cream cheese pie crust in a glass pan with rolling pin.
      Cream Cheese Pie Crust

    Make sure you never miss a recipe! Subscribe for recipes and tips, right to your inbox!

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Recipes

    • All Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Appetizers

    Contact

    • Contact Us
    • Press

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 EAT DESSERT SNACK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    Copyright © 2023 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework

    190shares
    • 189
    • 1