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We haven’t been this excited about a dinner recipe in a long time.
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Probably not since the 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta, which Eric said – in between shoveling this pasta in his mouth – is “not as good as this roasted tomato pesto recipe”.
I didn’t believe it, but after tasting and then devouring my own bowl of pesto (ok, there was some pasta in there too), I may have to agree with him. This is by far, the best pesto I’ve made or perhaps ever tasted.
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Don’t be put off by the colour, I promise it tastes much better than it looks. ;)
We enjoyed it so much, I made two batches over the long weekend and froze some for a later date. In January, there will be no tears over tasteless tomatoes as long as I have this pesto waiting for us!
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If I can wait that long to eat it, that is.
Outlook not good.
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Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta
This pesto is bursting with seasonal flavours and nutrients. Hello lycopene! It’s also quite low in oil thanks to the roasted tomatoes adding body and flavour. I left the almonds chopped and it added a nice texture that was great mixed into pasta or spread on a toasted sandwich. I suggest making some and freezing it for a later date.
Inspired by Gourmet.
Yield: 1 cup pesto
Ingredients:
- 9 large roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup tightly packed basil + more for garnish
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling on tomatoes
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Your desired amount of cooked Pasta
1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place sliced tomatoes on the sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 1 hour and 10 mins at 400F. Watch closely during the last 15 minutes of roasting.
2. Reduce oven heat to 325F and toast almonds for 8-10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup into food processor and process until finely chopped. I left mine a bit chunky for texture. Remove and set aside.
3. With processor turned on, add 2 garlic cloves and let it whirl around until finely chopped. Now add in the basil and process until finely chopped.
4. Add in the oil, optional nutritional yeast, and 1.5 cups of roasted tomatoes (you will have tomatoes left over). Process until smooth. Pulse in 1/3 cup toasted almonds. Season generously with salt and pepper. I think I used about 1/2 tsp salt or a bit more.
5. Pour your desired amount of pesto over the cooked pasta and mix well. Chop the remaining roasted tomatoes and stir into pasta. Chop remaining almonds and Chiffonade the basil (see below).
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I decided to roast the tomatoes first to give the pesto a really deep flavour. So glad I did!!
First, I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Into the pre-heated oven they went at 400F for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The longer they roast, the more delicious they become. The bottoms will be blackened slightly, but not to worry as it only enhances the flavour.
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After cooling slightly, I ate one straight off the pan. And I almost burned my mouth off, but it was so worth it. I’m surprised that the rest of them made it into the processor!
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While the processor blade is spinning, add two garlic cloves. Let it whirl around until the garlic is chopped. Next, add 1 cup of tightly packed basil and process. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spoon. With the processor on, add in 1/4 cup oil, 1.5 cups of roasted tomatoes, nutritional yeast (optional), and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse in the toasted almonds.
I’m loving this olive oil right now:
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This pesto is so delicious it’s unreal.
This was my first batch and I used 1 cup of roasted tomatoes, but I suggest using 1.5 cups of roasted tomatoes as I did in my second batch. You get more bang for your buck!
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If you want to be a fancy pants, you can Chiffonade the basil for garnishing on top of the pasta. “Chiffon” is French for “rag” which is what the basil will look like when you’re finished.
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How to Chiffonade basil:
1. Grab a few basil leaves (you can use spinach or any leafy vegetable for future reference)
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2. Stack them on top of one another like so.
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3. Now roll it up all the way.
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4. Grab a sharp knife and slice tiny 1mm cuts through the rolled up basil.
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Do not slice finger off as it looks like I’m about to do in the above photo. That would not be good.
Repeat until you’ve sliced through all of it. The basil, not your finger.
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5. With your (in tact) fingers, gently separate the basil into its ‘rag-like’ pieces and sprinkle over top of your dish.
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And if you handle them as long as I did to get these photos, they will really look like rags!
You are now a fancy pants.
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It is your mission to go on and enjoy those deliciously sweet tomatoes that are waiting for you.
Just don’t forget to freeze some for the Winter!
I tried this last night and it was AMAZING! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! We had it on top of Ronzoni Garden Delight Spagetti!
I came for your roasted tomato soup (with coconut milk) and stayed for this pesto. Took your advice and roasted extra tomatoes when I made the soup. I finally thawed them and made the pesto today. Omg what took me so long? That was so so good. We were licking the bowl. I know you have a ton of comments and this is an “old” recipe, but I felt compelled to tell you how delicious it was. Thanks for sharing! Love your work!
Do you peel and core the tomatoes before you put them in the processor?
I can’t eat almonds and was debating on trying walnuts or cashews instead. What exactly do the almonds add? texture and flavor?? What do you think?
I write this as I devour a bowl :D
It’s delicious. Perfect balance of sweet and acidity from the roasted tomatoes.
I will absolutely be making it again!!!
This is fantastic! I made the pesto this morning, and now can’t wait for dinner!
DELICIOUS!!!! Amazing this will be a staple in our house from now on x
Wow! This WAS the BEST pesto I have ever tasted! I just wanted to eat the pesto and not add the pasta! I will definitely make this again…and I never knew roasted tomatoes were so heavenly…
This recipe is to die for. I didn’t have quite as many tomatoes but it still turned out delicious! The smell of roasting tomatoes and toasted almonds is inspiring. Thanks!
this is one of my FAVORITE dishes. i made it abolut a year ago when Michelle Zink posted it on her blog…fabulous! i’ve tweaked it a bit so there’s the perfect amount of nutritional yeast, for me…i’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, but this dish is de-LISH regardless.
now that it’s EXCEPTIONALLY hot, i like to eat it room temp or even cold…makes a really good, flavourful chilled summer pasta…
This was incredibly delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. :)
I made this for my (non-vegan) family tonight, and it was a huge hit! Thank you so much for all of the fantastic recipes that have helped me show the meat enthusiasts in my house that vegan cooking is delicious!
My new favourite pesto recipe! We gobble it all up every time. Thanks!
Hi Angela!
Absolutely LOVE your recipes! I have a ridiculous amount of grape tomatoes on hand….think I could still use them for this recipe? Any idea roughly how many I should roast and what the roasting temperature and duration should be since they’re so tiny?
Thanks!
Sarah
made this tonight, delicious!!!
Oh my goodness I have never appreciated the full joy of roasted tomatoes right out of the oven! This is a great dish, and was a winner with the whole family which is rare! I actually made the pesto without the almonds due to my son’s nut allergy so I was worried, but it turned out so yummy and flavorful anyway. I am making it for the second time tonight, with extra tomatoes on the pan in the oven so I can stuff my face with them!
What would be a good seed alternative to the almonds? I’m allergic to nuts. Thanks!
I made this tonight! Delicious! I am definitely going to make again! Thanks
what does the yeast help in the recipe
I made this two night ago for dinner and STILL cannot get over how AWSOME it was. I’ve never eaten pesto in my life but it is now a staple. Thank you!