Sundried Tomato Pesto

Alert the media- this is gonna be award-winning and trophy-gifting, this– is how to make vegan sundried tomato pesto! STP takes everything you love about the standard pesto and carries it to soaring new heights.

Let’s get to know pesto and all its varieties better, shall we?

Let Us Prepare The Pesto!

Time to whip up this homemade sundried tomato pesto sauce! At home, you can use a blender, food processor, or a bullet blender to make pesto very quickly. Of all the kitchen appliances we have tried, we favor our food processor to make vegan pesto.

Here’s the thing, many high powered blenders have a minimum capacity in order to reach a smooth, blending consistency. In our Vitamix, we need to make about 2 cups of pesto (double this recipe) for the blender to work well– and if we don’t have that much basil lying around…. it doesn’t work and we end up switching to the fp…. and washing more dishes.

You can make this recipe without a food processor– simply use a bullet blender or double the recipe for a full-size blender. However you make it, just remember to give flamboyant Italian grandma chef’s kisses to everyone around you, okay?

The ingredients you need to make vegan sundried tomato pesto are usual suspects in most vegan kitchens:

• Fresh basil
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• A couple cloves of garlic
• Nutritional yeast
• Nuts, in this recipe we’re using pine nuts
• Salt & pepper
• Sundried-tomatoes in olive oil

On Cooking & Eating

How to use vegan sundried-tomato pesto? We use pesto in a lot of different ways around our kitchen… some traditional and some full-on, out there unconventional. Fresh pesto has huge flavor, we usually use this for run-of-the-mill meals that need a little pizzaz!

Here are some ideas on how to use leftover pesto:

• Pizza sauce
• Pasta sauce–sundried tomato pesto pasta, or even in a lasagna
• As a dressing for a grain bowl– rice & veggies topped with pesto
• On toast. Yes, we do this.
• Use it to flavor hummus or other dips
• Add it to a tofu or chickpea scramble in the morning
• As a spread in quesadillas or sandwiches
• Use as a dressing for cold pasta salads- sundried tomato pesto pasta salads are delicious in the summertime

We’re using pine nuts in this recipe but you can substitute any other nut you have on hand. Pine nuts are very pricey here in the PNW and we usually don’t buy them- our favorite substitution is walnuts! If you have a nut allergy, you can replace the nuts with sunflower seeds or hemp seeds!

Also, it’s really up to you on whether on not to toast the nuts/seeds you use. This sundried-tomato sauce will definitely have a more pronounced, nutty flavor if you toast them.

If you want to take a swing at toasted-pine-nut-pesto, toast in a skillet over medium heat for 7-9 minutes stirring frequently until nuts are golden and fragrant. Alternatively, place on a cookie sheet in a 350* oven for 9-11 minutes, removing every 3 minutes to stir.

Be careful! It’s incredibly easy to burn nuts when you intended to toast them!

Is Sundried-Tomato Pesto Vegan?

Pesto is a fresh basil and olive oil sauce, right? What makes pesto not vegan? Parmesan cheese is traditionally and commonly used in pesto today, which is why most pesto recipes are not vegan.

In this vegan sundried-tomato pesto recipe, we will replace the parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast to achieve the same cheesy, nutty, acidic quality that parmesan cheese lends to traditional pesto. The sundried-tomatoes also add an acidic bite!

Troubleshooting Sundried-Tomato Pesto

This sauce seems easy enough- what could possibly go wrong? Most sauces made in a blender or food processor are forgiving as you can blend the ingredients, taste test, and adjust as needed. This recipe allows you to do exactly that! I’ll often taste and add a pinch of salt and another dash of lemon juice.

Why is my pesto bitter? This can happen for several reasons, the culprit is usually basil! (Surprise!) Some varieties of basil leaves are more bitter than others and off-season basil can have more bitter notes. If your sundried-tomato pesto has a very bitter taste try adding more lemon juice (acid), nutritional yeast (flavor), or nuts (fat + flavor). If this doesn’t curb the bitterness, try adding a few springs of another herb like parsley or cilantro to help counteract the bitterness.

Why is my pesto turning brown? Pesto will oxidize and turn from a bright, cheery green color to dark, muddy green- just like guacamole does. This is completely normal and the pesto is still ok to eat and will taste delicious! If you are making the pesto in advance of using it- you can pour a thin layer of oil on top of the pesto when you store it, this prevents air from reaching the pesto and turning it brown.

Is there a substitute for nutritional yeast? To substitute nutritional yeast, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of miso, we really like chickpea miso. Miso gives a satisfying, umami flavor but it doesn’t provide the same level of ‘cheesiness’ that nutritional yeast does.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO FAQS

1. How long does sun-dried tomato pesto last? Sundried-tomato pesto will last 5-7 days in the fridge but tastes the best and most aromatic if eaten in 24 hours.
2. What does sun-dried tomato pesto taste like? Sundried-tomato pesto has a richer, deeper flavor than standard pesto. The tomatoes add an acidic quality that is quite nice. We particularly feel right eating this pesto in the fall/winter months.
3. Can you buy sun-dried tomato pesto? This type of pesto is not commonly found for sale in stores, but some specialty markets have it. If you need a quick sundried tomato pesto you can purchase premade basil pesto and add sundried tomatoes to it.
4. Can I make this pesto without nutritional yeast? Yes, you may need to add more salt if you omit the nutritional yeast and you can use miso in place of nooch.
5. How long does pesto last? This keeps in the fridge for up to a week. Sundried-tomato pesto freezes well- up to 3 months!
6. Do you eat pesto cold? Yes! One of the best qualities of pesto is aroma! If you heat the pesto, the basil flavor will remain but the aroma will fade.
7. I don’t have olive oil- Can I use a different oil? Avocado oil would work.
8. Is pesto vegetarian? Yes, most pesto recipes are vegetarian.
9. Can you freeze sundried-tomato pesto? Pesto freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
10. Can you make pesto without a food processor? You can use a mortar and pestle or make this in a blender. To properly blend all ingredients you may need to double the recipe.
11. Can you make pesto without garlic? Yes, you can omit the garlic. You can also substitute garlic powder if you are out of fresh garlic.
12. Can you make pesto with dried basil? No, we do not recommend this. The texture, flavor, aroma, and consistency of pesto are all based on using fresh, leafy basil.
13. What makes pesto not vegan? Parmesan cheese is commonly added to pesto sauces.

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