Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe that’s bursting with flavor.

Sun dried tomato pesto

Need a dip idea that doubles as a sandwich spread? This sun dried tomato pesto is bursting with so much zippy flavor, you’ll want to put it on everything! Dip it with with toasted or grilled bread or crackers, and it’s a burst of savory, sweet, tangy, and herby all at once. All you need are a handful of ingredients to whip up a batch. Store it in the fridge and it’s one of those essential recipes that keep on giving: use it as a sandwich spread, pasta sauce, and more!

Ingredients in sun dried tomato pesto

Sun dried tomato pesto is always a major hit in our household when we make a batch, so we’re extra excited to share it with you. We could not stop dragging our bread slices through the lovely red puree. The flavor is a pop of bright acidity, contrasted with the rich savory undertones of the sun dried tomatoes. Make it for friends and they won’t be able to tear themselves away from the bowl! Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

  • Pine nuts
  • Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
  • Garlic
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Pine nuts are essential (plus, a substitute)

Pine nuts are the star in traditional Italian basil pesto: they have a unique sweet undertone that is essential to the overall flavor. If you can find them, they’re fantastic in sun dried tomato pesto, too. The way the nut blends with the chewy tomatoes is heavenly.

However, pine nuts can be very expensive here in the US. Want a pine nut substitute? Try cashews, which have a slightly sweet flavor as well. Walnuts also work, though they have more of a bitter aftertaste.

Tips for making sun dried tomato pesto

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe is simply a matter of blending a few ingredients together. It’s quick and simple and takes only a few minutes to whiz together. Here are a few notes:

  • Toast the nuts first. Toasting pine nuts brings out their nutty flavor in a way that’s impossible to detect without applying heat. It brings out the flavor like adding a pinch of salt does to savory recipes.
  • The best tool for the job? A food processor. Use a large food processor to whiz the ingredients together in a flash.
  • Or, use a mortar and pestle. Don’t have a food processor? You can also use an old school mortar and pestle to grind this pesto into a paste.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe

Storage info

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe lasts up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator. While you can freeze it for up to 3 months, the texture, consistency and flavor are all better prior to freezing. So if you can, eat it while it’s fresh!

Ways to use sun dried tomato pesto

Speaking of…what are the best ways to eat sun dried tomato pesto? We like it best as a dip with grilled bread. However, it’s also tasty as a sandwich spread or even as a pasta sauce! Here are a few ideas:

More pesto recipes

There are many more ways to make pesto: the traditional basil and other creative spins! Here are some of our favorite pesto recipes:

This sun dried tomato pesto recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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Sun dried tomato pesto

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: About 1 ½ cups

Description

This sun dried tomato pesto is a tasty dip or spread! Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy recipe that’s bursting with flavor.


Ingredients

  • ½ cup pine nuts*
  • 1 8.5 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 handful fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional as needed
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. In a small dry skillet, toast the nuts over medium high heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the nuts to a bowl and allow them to cool slightly.
  2. In food processor**, add the garlic and process for a few seconds until chopped. Add the drained sundried tomatoes, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, parsley, olive oil, and kosher salt. Process until ground into a paste, about 30 seconds.
  3. Once combined, tastes. Blend in a bit more olive oil if desired, to achieve a looser texture. Stores for 2 weeks in the refrigerator (or freeze for up to 3 months, but the texture is best when refrigerated).

Notes

*You can substitute cashews for a similar flavor, though we like it best with pine nuts.

**Alternatively, you can also use a mortar and pestle.

  • Category: Dip
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Italian inspired
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Sun dried tomato pesto

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Lemon Curd

This lemon curd recipe makes the best citrusy spread and topping! Use it for scones, pancakes, cakes and more. Are…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This lemon curd recipe makes the best citrusy spread and topping! Use it for scones, pancakes, cakes and more.

Lemon curd recipe

Are you smitten with citrus? Then you absolutely must try this lemon curd recipe! This simple method makes curd with the absolute best flavor and texture. It’s positively bright and zingy, with a creamy, thick texture that will make your heart skip a beat. Use it as a topping for scones, biscuits, shortcakes, pancakes and waffles, or it even works as a cake filling. Welcome to your new favorite lemon recipe!

What’s in lemon curd?

Lemon curd is a citrus spread that originated in England in the 1800’s. It’s a mixture of eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and butter, which when heated form into a smooth, thick custardy texture. Citrus curds were originally eaten as a spread for scones at British tea time, but they work in a variety of uses: in tarts, as a cake filling, on shortcakes, pancakes, waffles, and French toast, on ice cream, or on toast.

What do you need for lemon curd? Before we mastered this method, we had no idea lemon curd was so simple! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Eggs
  • Granulated sugar
  • Whole lemons (lemon juice and lemon zest)
  • Butter
Lemon curd recipe

How to make lemon curd

Lemon curd is quick to make, but it’s important to be precise in the method. It’s easy to undercook or overcook the lemon curd, resulting in a thin or split curd. The most important thing to know: use a food thermometer! It’s the best way to make sure you don’t overcook the curd. Here’s how to make lemon curd (or jump to the recipe below):

  • Whisk: In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  • Heat: Add medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and slowly with a spatula, for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken into a yogurt-like consistency. This happens at a temperature between 160°F and 170°F. Avoid simmering or overcooking, which will result in a lumpy texture.
  • Add butter: Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until the butter is melted.
  • Chill: Transfer the lemon curd to a container and press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Lemon curd

Why is my lemon curd runny?

Runny lemon curd means the curd has not been heated enough: it must be heated to 170°F in order to thicken. You can “save” a runny curd and thicken it. Place it in a saucepan and use a food thermometer to heat it back to 170°F. Then whisk in another tablespoon or two of butter, which will help it become even thicker when cooled.

Why is my lemon curd lumpy?

Lumpy lemon curd means the curd was overcooked, causing the eggs to cook and become scrambled. The most important part of making lemon curd is cooking the mixture gently so that the eggs do not cook.

Can you save a lumpy lemon curd? It depends. If you have only small lumps in the curd, you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve to strain out the cooked eggs. However, if the entire mixture is split, you’ll have to start over.

Ways to use it!

There are so many ways to use lemon curd (though you’ll probably want to lick it right off of the spoon!). Here are a few of the top ways to eat it:

Lemon curd recipe

Storage info

How long does homemade lemon curd last? You can store lemon curd for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. You can also freeze lemon curd for up to 3 months, stored in an airtight container.

More lemon recipes

Want to make more with this zingy citrus fruit? Here are a few favorite lemon recipes:

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Lemon curd recipe

Easy Lemon Curd


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: About 1 ½ cups

Description

This lemon curd recipe makes the best citrusy spread and topping! Use it for scones, pancakes, cakes and more.


Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, whisk the eggs until smooth. Then whisk in the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
  2. Add medium heat and cook, stirring constantly and slowly with a spatula, for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken into a yogurt-like consistency. This happens at a temperature between 160°F and 170°F: measure with a food thermometer for most accurate results! Avoid simmering or overcooking, which will result in a lumpy texture.
  3. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until the butter is melted.
  4. Transfer the lemon curd to a container and press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Store refrigerated for up to 1 month.
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: English
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Lemon curd, lemon curd recipe, how to make lemon curd

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.