This sun-dried tomato pesto is raw and vegan friendly. The sun-dried tomatoes were a bit of a impulse purchase when I went shopping at Surfas, which is an amazing gourmet food and kitchen supply store, geared towards culinary professionals in Culver City. They were not packed in oil, so I was able to use my favorite extra virgin olive oil to soak the sun-dried tomatoes in, which added another delicious layer of flavor. All olive oils have their own flavor profile, similar to wines, so definitely keep that in mind and use the good stuff.
I used pine nuts as a substitute for Parmesan cheese. Do not sub out the pine nuts. They are needed for the cheesy flavor that you miss, when you’re dairy free. The more pine nuts you use, the creamier your pesto will turn out. Plus, their flavor is buttery and pretty neutral, so it won’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. If you’re not a fan, you soon will be.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 cup of packed sun dried tomatoes that were soaked in extra virgin olive oil
- 1.5 cups of pine nuts
- 2 cloves of pressed garlic
- sea salt and black pepper to taste (3 grinds each)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Cooking Directions
- Add sun dried tomatoes, pine nuts, pressed garlic, and extra virgin olive oil, until desired smoothness.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste, about three grinds each.