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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
📝 Printable Recipe
Red Pesto Sauce
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
Nutrition
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Amanda
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.