Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta made with Homemade Roasted “Sun” Dried Tomatoes

The Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta was excellent! Full of complex tangy flavor that just practically melts in your mouth. And, the little bit of salty Parmesan over the top was awesome. You could throw in some artichoke hearts or olives too. Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta made with Homemade Roasted “Sun” Dried Tomatoes

Ain’t no party like a Veggie Party!

Recently, I had a veggie party on Facebook where I asked all my blogger friends to stop by and “share their most delectable veggie recipes! If you’re looking for bright, new ways to prep veggies, this will be the place.”

Real Food. Real Deals. stopped by to share her Oven Roasted Tomatoes. I think she must’ve known that I had just been talking about trying to make my own sun dried tomatoes. I have so many tomatoes from my garden right now. And, the tomatoes at the farmer’s markets have been so beautiful!

Fresh tomatoes

I used 2 huge heirloom tomatoes from the market, and added in about 6 regular sized tomatoes from my garden. The basil came from my garden, and again, it’s the small leaf basil that I’ve been loving! No chopping!

Recipe details

I left the chopped tomatoes in the oven for 3 hours. I decided that I wanted my sun-dried tomatoes on the moist side. So, if you really want them well dried, for this size tomato, you’ll want them in the oven probably closer to 5 hours. But, I LOVE the way they came out. Chewy, full of concentrated flavor, beautiful color! Just LOVE them. Anyone can make their own sun-dried tomatoes; it just takes a little time. And, these are so much cheaper than store-bought sun dried tomatoes.

This pasta is great served hot. But also give it a try cold, as pasta salad. It’ll be a hit at your next potluck or picnic! And, no mayo in this pasta salad!

How to use your homemade sun-dried tomatoes

This Pasta is just one idea to use your homemade sun-dried tomatoes. I had a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes leftover after making the pesto that I put in the freezer. I think they will be delicious on a homemade pizza or with some roasted broccoli. Since they have that beautiful chewy texture, they make a great substitute for meat in meatless dishes. Oh, or they could be made into a vinaigrette dressing. There’s just so many ways to use them, and now that I can make my own, I bet we will try more and more.

Oven Roasted “Sun” Dried Tomatoes fresh out of the oven

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Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta made with Homemade Roasted “Sun” Dried Tomatoes Recipe

The homemade sun-dried tomato recipe is under the pasta recipe card. Just keep going.

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Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

Servings 4

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 8 ounces pasta uncooked
• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes recipe for homemade oven roasted tomatoes follows below
• ¼ cup basil roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus additional for garnish
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Fresh Parmesan for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once al dente, drain.
2. Meanwhile, while pasta is cooking, in the bowl of a food processor, add tomatoes. Process to a fine paste. Add basil and pulse to combine. Add vinegar, salt, and pepper and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly pour in olive oil. Taste for seasoning adding more salt and pepper as necessary.
3. Toss pasta with sun dried tomato pesto, and grate fresh Parmesan over the top. Garnish with additional black pepper and basil leaves as desired.

The chopped tomatoes, oil, basil, salt, and pepper ready to be tossed together

The tomatoes, placed cut side up in one layer on a foil lined rimmed baking dish. I used two rimmed baking dishes for all the tomatoes I had

I roasted these tomatoes for 3 hours. I decided that I wanted my sun dried tomatoes on the moist side. So, if you really want them well dried, for this size tomato, you’ll want them in the oven probably closer to 5 hours.

Sun Dried (Oven Roasted) Tomatoes Recipe

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Sun Dried (Oven Roasted) Tomatoes

Author Debi

Ingredients

• 4 pounds tomatoes washed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Basil leaves chopped if large
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250° F.
2. If the tomatoes are small (e.g. grape, cherry, Roma), cut them in half. If they are larger, cut them in quarters. And, if they’re grande heirloom tomatoes, cut them in sixths.
3. Place the cut tomatoes in a large bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle basil, salt, and pepper over, and gently toss to coat. Place the tomatoes cut side up in one layer on a foil lined rimmed baking dish. (You may need more than one baking dish.)
4. Roast the tomatoes until they are dry. The small ones will take 2 or 3 hours, while the large ones will take 5 or more hours. Refrigerate and use within 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Real Food. Real Deals.