
We haven’t been this excited about a dinner recipe in a long time.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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:


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!

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.

How to Chiffonade basil:
1. Grab a few basil leaves (you can use spinach or any leafy vegetable for future reference)

2. Stack them on top of one another like so.

3. Now roll it up all the way.

4. Grab a sharp knife and slice tiny 1mm cuts through the rolled up basil.

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.

5. With your (in tact) fingers, gently separate the basil into its ‘rag-like’ pieces and sprinkle over top of your dish.

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.

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!
made it tonight! it was DELICIOUS. i ate it straight out of the food processor for a while (lol) and then over hot kamut spaghetti. ’twas baller.
heh sounds like me :)
I have been obsessed with pesto lately!! Especially yours!!! This recipe looks incredible!
O.M.G. this looks fantastic and soo yummy!
That looks amazing ~ can’t wait to make it!! My stomach is already growling…
Have you ever canned your pesto and if you have how would you go about doing it??? Have lots of tomatoes and looking for things to do with them.
I haven’t canned before…but I’m sure there are tutorials online to help you! Good luck :)
Oh my god this looks so good. I am making a roasted tomato and garlic soup tomorrow. I WISH I had enough tomatoes to make this too!! They are grown in my parents garden…I wonder if I could yank a few more for this deliciousness!
That looks absolutely de-vine.
That looks gorgeous and heavenly! Thank the interweb stars that lead me to VOO and to your blog… can’t wait to try this!
lol that made me chuckle ;) Hope you enjoy it!
I just read your blog, just read your story, just read this recipe, and now I’m hooked. Adding you to my favorites.
aww thank you!
looks even better than my new favorite Thai Bangkok Pesto from the farmer’s market!
Hello lunch! Can’t wait to try this out- thank you, Angela!
this will definitely be made this sunday! sunday night=pasta at our house
this looks delicious! roasted tomatoes are so delicious. thank you thank you thank you for something that is so simple yet looks so refined.
Angela… your vegan pasta sauces NEVER fail to impress me.. or my dairy meat loving boyfriend! We just adorded your avocado ‘cream’ sauce and if this is BETTER than that and tastes as divine as it looks… well we are in for a treat! Cannot wait! Would this make for a good cold pasta dish you think. I have been obsessed with pasta salad lately… cold food in general :)
Thank you Sarah, I hope you enjoy this one too!
You wouldn’t know it, but I was never a pasta fan until I started making my own sauces…maybe one day I can make my own pasta too. ;)
Captivating photos and the pesto just looks beyond words delicious!!
I love tomato basil!!!
I haven’t made roasted tomatoes in ages — I love roasting them with slivered garlic. They are great as a side dish (hot or cold), and of course in sauces!! You inspired me yesterday, but I had no tomatoes, so instead I made pasta with roasted eggplant and mushroom-garlic tepenade.
Roasting the garlic is a great idea!!! I’ll have to try this next time I make it. :)
Hi!
I just started following you. I found you through a blog that a friend was reading through a blog post on that persons blog about your green monster.
My three year old is so hard to feed breakfast but he loves smoothies and we have done it with veggies before and he still drinks it. The green monster sounded really good, so we got what we didn’t have at whole foods yesterday, and we just made it this morning. I couldn’t put mine down. It tastes more like a milkshake, and the kiddo loves it too! It’s so creamy. I have to admit I expected it to taste a little more leafy….amazing! I’m 34 weeks pregnant too, so this is a great healthy breakfast for me too!
I will eventually do a post on this on my blog, (and I will link to yours giving you all the credit, if you don’t mind) I don’t want to keep this secret that I’ve found!
Thank you Thank you!
Can’t wait to try the tomato basil pesto next week!!!!
Jessica, that’s wonderful to hear! Congrats on your pregnancy too. :)
Yum, yum, yum, I want a bowl for lunch.
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog since stumbling upon the chocolate avocado torte while looking up cake recipes for my roommate’s birthday. WOW does this look good!
Thanks Annie :) I hope you enjoy it if you end up making it…it’s one of our favs.
Absolute success. This was my husband’s very first all vegan dinner, and he loved it. I had some sliced flank steak from a previous dinner at the ready in case he started shaking, but he turned it down! Perhaps my telling him about your husband’s story (and weight loss) helped in not having meat all the time. I think many times our diets as adults are just what we grew up with and haven’t challenged. Looking forward to new concoctions for dinner, thanks for sharing!
I’m smiling reading this!! Thank you for sharing, that’s wonderful news. :)
When I met Eric, he wouldn’t eat any vegetables except perhaps frozen peas or carrots. It’s amazing how tastes can grow and change after repeated exposure! lol