Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Penne

Sun-dried tomatoes are decidedly ‘90s, along with pizza bagels and Cosmopolitans. Nowadays, the ’90s are trending, so I am declaring that it’s time for my favorite pantry staple to make a much-deserved comeback. 

Here, sun-dried tomatoes are celebrated in a cheesy pesto that’s the perfect pairing for al dente penne pasta. Besides tossing it with pasta, this pesto can do many, many things.

I’ve been keeping these sweet treasures stocked in my pantry for years because, despite their recent lack of popularity, they’re flavor-packed gems that are endlessly useful in the kitchen. The ones that are not packed in oil can be rehydrated in water and both the plump sun-dried tomatoes and its umami-rich broth can be used in a cozy risotto. Meanwhile, marinated sun-dried tomatoes and their flavorful oil can be used in easy sheet pan dinners, where the oil helps crisp up vegetables or even gnocchi.

In this recipe, it’s the oil-packed variety that forms the base of this dead-simple pesto rosso, or red pesto. This Sicilian twist on the classic basil pesto is just as versatile — and you don’t have to wait for the basil in your garden to flourish either. Using the herby oil that sun-dried tomatoes are packed in means you don’t have to use additional oil, which is a flavorful no-waste trick. Aside from the usual pesto ingredients like toasted nuts, garlic, and cheese, a bit of parsley adds freshness, and a touch of balsamic vinegar rounds out its sweet-salty savoriness.

Pesto rosso is a bold pantry sauce for pasta, but like all pesto, that’s just the start. Spread it on a sandwich or burger, dollop it onto grilled fish or chicken, fold it into scrambled eggs, use it instead of pizza sauce, and more.

Pantry Pasta is Sheela Prakash‘s monthly column of easy, accessible pasta recipes. You’ll discover a new, inspired recipe each month that takes advantage of grocery staples and highlights one pantry hero. Follow along and grab all the recipes here.