Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe

Pasta is one of those meals that has comfort food written all over it, and perhaps best of all, it's truly one of the world's most versatile foods. This incredibly satisfying sun-dried tomato pesto pasta has the freshness of basil combined with the sweet and tangy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes — a match made in heaven, right in your bowl. Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "Pasta has always been one of my go-to favorite meals because it's delicious and filling. The sun-dried tomato pesto is full of flavor and is always a crowd pleaser."

You can pair this pasta with a simple salad and some fresh bread and you'll have a happy household. This pesto is also fabulous on a roasted vegetable panini, as a topper for grilled zucchini, or layered onto toasted baguette and topped with fresh basil — essentially, you can't go wrong with a sauce this good.

This recipe requires a fairly short ingredients list. Start by choosing your pasta of choice, any type will work fine. Then pick up some sun-dried tomatoes. "For this recipe, we're using the type that are packed in oil and in a jar. I like to buy the ones that are already cut into slices because that way you can add a spoonful or two to the finished dish as garnish," Hahn shares.

From the produce aisle you'll need some garlic, fresh basil, and lemon. Then you'll need some pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. "If you want to make this recipe dairy free and vegan, you can substitute the Parmesan with a dairy-free version or use nutritional yeast," Hahn explains.

In this first step, go ahead and get the pasta cooking. You'll need some of the pasta cooking water so save ½ cup once the pasta is done cooking.

Meanwhile, remove the basil leaves from the stems. You'll need quite a few leaves to really pack the basil tightly into the measuring cup. "If you happen to grow basil in your garden, this is a great recipe when your basil harvest is in full bloom," Hahn shares.

Once your basil is ready to go, add it to a food processor along with 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. "For some recipes when I'm using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, I drain the oil but, in this case, you're going to use the infused oil which means we only need to add a small amount of extra oil in addition," Hahn explains.

 Turn on the food processor and blend until everything has broken down. It should be very thick, but the warm pasta water will help distribute the pesto to the pasta.

Grab a large bowl and add the cooked pasta, the pesto, and the pasta water. Stir the pesto over the pasta. If you aren't quite ready to serve dinner yet, you can keep the pasta in a pot on the stove on simmer. You may have to add a small amount of water here and there to keep it from sticking. Before serving top with the remaining sun-dried tomatoes, additional chopped basil and pine nuts if desired. 

The pasta will be great for leftovers if kept in a sealed container for up to four days. Warm up the leftovers in the microwave or on the stove, or simply dive in while they're still cold.