Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto
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The ultimate summer pasta sauce, this tomato basil pesto calls for roasted cherry tomatoes, lots of fragrant fresh basil, parsley, garlic and toasted pine nuts. A must have recipe to keep on rotation and enjoy the beautiful tomato bounty of the season.
Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto
A riff on Linosa pesto, a super delicious blend of roasted cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley and garlic that makes the best pasta sauce this time of the year. In my variation of this Italian classic the tomatoes are roasted instead of blanched and I’m using only buttery pine nuts instead of almonds yielding a creamier more luscious sauce.
Let’s Talk About the Tomatoes
I love making this pesto with the best of summer’s cherry tomatoes, when they are at their peak packed with natural sugars and juices that get to concentrate in the oven and become almost candy like. Red or sun gold varieties are my favorites this time of the year, but all things considered even a subpar tomato will get better during roasting so this is worth making no matter what.
Best Pasta Shapes for Pesto
Although I prefer to use a short past shape like Trofie or Torchietti with this pesto sauce, you are not wrong for going for whatever your favorite pasta is or what you have in the pantry. Anything with ridges and holes will help hold more sauce in every bite, however there’s an argument to be made for a long spaghetti noodle as well. Ultimately I’d say listen to your heart baby.
Ingredient Tips
- Toasting the Pine Nuts – It’s super important here to start them in a dry skillet (no oil) and keep a very close eye on them during toasting as they can go from golden brow to burnt really quick. Stir them around with a spatula and remove them as soon as they have reached the prefect color and you can smell the nuttiness.
- Garlic – Since we are using raw garlic make sure it is very fresh, there are no green sprouts and no dark spots and grate them before mixing into the sauce. Start with 1 large clove and work your way up from there, it is all a preference of taste.
- Parsley – use Italian flat leaf Parsley leaves only, we are after that fresh parsley flavor to marry in with the basil. Do not use curly parsley as it has no fragrance to speak of but makes for a very pretty garnish.
- Olive Oil – Since we are not cooking with it I like to use my best cold pressed extra virgin olive oil. You don’t need a lot, I used 3 tablespoons to add lusciousness to my pesto but you can even skip it if you so desire and still end up with a beautiful sauce texture.
Pasta Recipes
- Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
- Dairy Free Alfredo Sauce
- Lentil Bolognese
- Fresh Tomato Sauce
- Pasta Primavera
- Potato Pasta
- Pomodoro Sauce
- White Bean Roasted Tomato Pasta
- Italian Couscous
how to make roasted tomato basil pesto
Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley (leafy tops only)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- 2 garlic cloves grated
- 1/3 cup pine nuts + 2 Tbsp for garnish
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 3/4 lb Trofie or Torchietti pasta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400”F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and add the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Toss to coat and roast In the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes until they have fully collapsed, released their juices and they start to get some color all over. Check on them half way and give them a shake. (You want them to fully collapse and the sugars to start caramelizing for the best flavor). Once done remove from the oven and allow to cool off for a few minutes.1 lb cherry tomatoes
- Meanwhile preheat a skillet over medium low heat and add all the pine nuts. Toast them until a nice golden brown color is achieved all over. Stand by and watch them closely the entire time stirring them around to prevent burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool.1/3 cup pine nuts +
- To the bowl of a food processor add the parsley, basil, garlic, 1/3 cup of the pine nuts and the roasted tomatoes. Use the pulse button a few times until everything is chopped up into a coarse texture.1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley, 1 cup fresh basil leaves, 1/3 cup pine nuts +, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the olive oil and sea salt and continue processing until a more creamy texture is achieved but you can still see little bits of the pine nuts throughout. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Meanwhile cooked the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with the pesto to coat well all over and garnish with some of the reserved toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes and fresh basil.3/4 lb Trofie or Torchietti pasta
