Tomato Pesto with Fresh Tomatoes

I am introducing an unusual recipe today, homemade tomato pesto, red pesto or pesto rosso made with fresh tomatoes. Reason for this being that I was gifted a lot of self grown tomatoes. Quite a variety, some big, some small, many yellow and one even purple. The many yellow tomatoes are the reason that the pesto has a slightly lighter color. But regardless of the color, man, my hubby and me devoured this pesto. First we used it as a dip for crackers, then I made a tomato tart and of course we had to have pasta with it. It was gone so quickly, I had to made fresh one. Thank God we got a large batch of tomatoes.

I knew I wanted to make a pesto recipe with my gifted tomatoes. However, most recipes rely on dried tomatoes. Therefore I decided to make my own variation and simply dry the tomatoes myself. They do get a much more intense flavor that way and you can decide which varieties you want to use. I also like the fact that the garlic taste amazing after it was roasted in the oven. The only downside to this method is though that it requires a bit of time before you can eat the pesto as drying does require a bit of time. But I have to say, we were so excited and enjoyed this pesto immensely. It is so much better than any store-bought pesto, believe me.

If you find tomatoes that were ripened by the sun, I would recommend making this pesto. If you use amazing tomatoes, this will also taste amazing. Tomatoes are one of my favorite vegetables, so a tomato pesto was right up my alley. Maybe you want to try this recipe as well?

Print Recipe

Tomato Pesto with Fresh Tomatoes

Serves: One small jar

Prep Time: 15min – Cooking Time: 1hr 30min – Total Time: 1hr 45min

This tomato pesto, red pesto or pesto rosso is prepared with fresh totamoes, which we roast and dry and which gives this pesto the delicious flavor.

Ingredients

• 300 grams of fresh tomatoes (I had a wide range)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5-6 tablespoons of good olive oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry basil
• 50 grams of parmesan
• 50 grams of pine nuts
• A handful of fresh basil

Instructions

1

Cut tomatoes into the size of half a cherry tomatoe. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper cut side facing upwards. Peel the garlic and halve or quarter, also put on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tomatoes with about one tablespoon of olive oil. Then season with the herbs listed. Dry the tomatoes for about an hour or an hour and a half at 110 degrees Celsius. You can leave them in the oven overnight or continue as below right away.

2

Meanwhile roast the pine nuts on medium heat in a frying pan without using any oil. Grate the parmesan.

3

Once the tomatoes are done, combine with all remaining ingredients, including the olive oil left and process in a food processor. Transfer to a jar and if needed, add a bit more salt. If kepft in an airtight jar, it will keep for a week in the fridge. You can freeze the pesto and even portion it by freezing it in ice cubes.