Description
This Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Recipe is made with homemade or store bought marinara, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, heavy cream and pasta water.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes from a jar in oil
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Pasta water, as needed
- Parmesan cheese, as desired
- Basil leaves, for garnish
- Your choice of pasta
Instructions
- Cook your desired pasta in salted water and reserve pasta water.
- In a blender, add the marinara sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto and blend until smooth.
- In a large saucepan on medium low heat, add the oil and wait for it to shimmer. Add the garlic and wait until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Stir in the blended sauce, salt, and bring to a low simmer, for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream to make it thinner. Add more if desired. If the consistency needs to be thinner, add the pasta water after you have boiled your desired pasta.
- Serve the sauce on any bite sized pasta, ravioli or even chicken. Top with parmesan cheese and garnish with basil leaves.
Notes
- Use good quality sun-dried tomatoes: Sun-dried tomatoes are the star ingredient in this recipe, so it's important to use good quality ones. Look for tomatoes that are plump, meaty and have a deep red color. If possible, choose oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, as they tend to be more flavorful.
- Adjust the consistency: The consistency of the pesto can vary depending on personal preference. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add more olive oil or pasta water.
- Season to taste: Taste the pesto before mixing it with the pasta and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes to suit your taste.
- Don't overcook the pasta: Cook the pasta until it's al dente, meaning it still has a slight bite to it. Overcooked pasta can become mushy and clump together, making it difficult to mix with the pesto.
- Mix the pasta and pesto together: Once the pasta is cooked, reserve some of the pasta water and drain the rest. Then mix the pesto and pasta together in a large bowl, adding a little bit of pasta water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Garnish and serve: Top the pasta with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped basil or parsley for a pop of color and added flavor.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 0.1ggrams
- Sodium: 82mgmilligrams
- Fat: 8.2ggrams
- Saturated Fat: 1.5ggrams
- Carbohydrates: 1.2ggrams
- Fiber: 0.2ggrams
- Protein: 1.8ggrams
- Cholesterol: 3.9mgmilligrams
