Green, Yellow and now Red Pesto

This Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pesto with Walnuts bursts with flavour. It is the fourth in my “eat-the-rainbow” pesto series. This pesto has its lovely reddish color not only from the sun dried tomatoes, but also from the tomato paste I use in this recipe.

Traditional flavours

Tomato and Basil is such an incredible combination, no wonder it’s so famous. If on pizza or pasta or salads, these two flavours are real friends and are the perfect base for another pesto. After a green pesto with Chlorella and another one with Spirulina and then a yellow pesto with turmeric I was thinking of a new color.

Sun Dried Tomatoes

And of course I cannot make a pesto series without a sun dried tomato pesto. I use walnuts in this recipe, they are way cheaper than the pine nuts and in my opinion I even like them more in the pesto. Because of the acidity of the tomatoes I add a tiny little bit of sweetener, I recommend maple or agave syrup. They have the advantage that they blend in very easily.

I usually buy the “dry” sun dried tomatoes and not the ones in oil.  That’s how I avoid excess oil in my kitchen. Of course for this pesto, which has anyway a good amount of oil in it, it doesn’t really matter. So if you use the sun dried tomatoes in oil, just put them straight in the blender or food processor. And if you use the “dry” ones I recommend to soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes, so you can blend them better and get a smooth pesto.

Goes with anything

This vegan sun dried tomato pesto with walnuts goes perfectly with freshly cooked pasta, on a pizza, on oven-roasted or grilled veggies, potatoes or of course as a bread filling. It is so simple and easy to make and you can keep it at least for 1 week in the fridge and have it handy for a quick snack.

Check out my other “eat-the-rainbow” vegan pestos:

• Basic Basil-Walnut-Pesto (vegan)
• Superfood Pesto with Chlorella (part of the “Braided Bread” recipe)
• Kale Walnut Pesto with Spirulina
• Vegan Cashew Pesto with Turmeric

Print Recipe

Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pesto with Walnuts

Where are the Sun Dried Tomatoes lovers? In this vegan Sun Dried Tomato Pesto I combine them with walnuts, basil and nutritional yeast instead of cheese. An incredibly flavourful combination for your next pasta, pizza, veggies or a bread filling. Very easy to make and 100% plantbased.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Servings

persons

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Servings persons Ingredients 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes 1 cup basil leaves 4 garlic cloves peeled 1/2 cup walnuts 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp salt 4 tsp tomato paste 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tsp maple syrup or agave syrup

Instructions

1. If you use the dry sundried tomatoes (not the ones in oil) then put them in a bowl and soak them for 10 minutes in hot water. If you use the ones in oil, you can put them right away in the food processor.
2. Put all ingredients in a food processor and mix until you get a crumbly, pesto-like consistency. If it's too dry, just add more oil.

Recipe Notes

You can use the pesto straight away for your pasta, veggies or bread filling, or you can transfer it to an air-tight container and keep in the fridge. It stays fresh at least one week without any problem.

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MAPLE SYRUP