Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta (Print View)

Pasta coated in a luscious sun-dried tomato and basil sauce with Parmesan and pine nuts.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz dried pasta (penne, fusilli, or spaghetti)

→ Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

02 - 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve 2 tbsp oil)
03 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
05 - 2 garlic cloves
06 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves
07 - 2 tbsp reserved sun-dried tomato oil
08 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
10 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ To Serve

11 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish
12 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and basil. Pulse until finely chopped.
03 - Add reserved sun-dried tomato oil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to the processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. If too thick, add reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Toss the drained pasta with the sun-dried tomato pesto in a large bowl, adding more pasta water if necessary to create a silky sauce.
05 - Plate immediately, garnished with fresh basil leaves and additional Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feels indulgent and restaurant-quality despite being faster than ordering takeout.
  • The pesto freezes beautifully, so you can make a double batch and have dinner ready on your hardest days.
  • It's naturally vegetarian but rich enough that nobody at your table will notice the absence of meat.
02 -
  • If your pesto breaks or looks grainy, it usually means it got too warm or you over-blended it—start fresh with a clean processor bowl and blend gently, stopping to scrape the sides instead of running it continuously.
  • The pasta water is not filler; it's the thing that transforms thick pesto into a sauce that actually clings to the noodles instead of sitting in a sad pile at the bottom of the bowl.
  • This dish does not keep well in the fridge because the basil oxidizes and the pesto darkens—make it the day you're eating it, or make the pesto ahead and cook the pasta fresh when you're ready to eat.
03 -
  • If you're making this for a crowd, cook the pasta and pesto separately, then let people toss their own bowls—this keeps everything at the right temperature and lets them control how much sauce they want.
  • A squeeze of lemon juice right at the table, after everything is plated, wakes up all the flavors and tastes like you knew a secret the whole time.
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