Fresh basil pesto is what comes to mind when most of us think of pesto sauce. I make that regularly with the abundance of basil that comes from my garden. But there exists a lesser-known authentic non-basil pesto: pesto alla trapanese from Trapani, Sicily, that’s made with tomatoes.
I'm using sun-dried tomatoes today but it can also be made with good, fresh seeded tomatoes. It’s southern Italy’s answer to northern Italy’s basil pesto.
I use pine nuts in the this recipe as I do in my classic basil pesto recipe, but the Italians are known to use walnuts or almonds as well, as these are plentiful in the southern regions of the country. I'm adding some browned Italian sausage to the dish along with broccolini, although that is optional. If you are unsure of the difference between broccolini, rapini and broccoli rabe read my post here. They are not the same thing and are cooked differently.
I prefer a wider long noodle over a shorter rigatoni/penne because it better carries the sauce. Again you can substitute if you prefer. This recipe makes enough sun-dried tomato pesto for about two pounds of pasta, unless you prefer a lot of sauce. I typically freeze the other half and that and use it for another meal in the future.
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup (about 8 ounces) of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 pound broccolini (optional)
Directions
If using the optional Italian sausage, in a large skillet or wok, brown and cook through and set aside to stay warm until ready to serve. If using the optional broccolini, cut and discard any thick bottom stems (thicker than a pencil.) Cut the thinner more tender stems from the florets. Saute the stems in the sausage drippings or olive oil until just about crisp tender. Add 1 cup white wine to the skillet, deglaze the bottom of the pan to scrape up any sausage bits. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the broccolini florets. Cook 2-3 minutes more until crisp tender and remove with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and let cool. Reserve the remainder of the liquid for use with the pasta.
For the Pasta: Start the pasta cooking and then make the pesto sauce below. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes if using dried pasta. Follow package directions Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid to use as needed to loosen the sauce.
Prepare the Pesto: Dunk the basil leaves in water to clean the leaves. Dry on paper towels after spinning off the excess water. Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor bowl and chop finely. Add sun-dried tomatoes and dry basil leaves with coarse salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the grated cheese and process while drizzling in the olive oil until you have the right consistency for pasta sauce.
Assemble: If you prepared the optional sausage or broccolini you now have the base of a flavorful sauce. Add the al dente pasta to the that and combine. If you did not, then add about 1/2 of the sun-dried tomato pesto to the pasta toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. If you prepared the sausage/broccolini, stir in. Serve with grated Parmesan.
Note: The sun-dried tomato pesto can also be frozen in the same way I do with classic pesto.
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| Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Sausage |
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| Simple Ingredients |
I prefer a wider long noodle over a shorter rigatoni/penne because it better carries the sauce. Again you can substitute if you prefer. This recipe makes enough sun-dried tomato pesto for about two pounds of pasta, unless you prefer a lot of sauce. I typically freeze the other half and that and use it for another meal in the future.
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| Fast to Make in a Food Processor |
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup (about 8 ounces) of sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 pound broccolini (optional)
Directions
If using the optional Italian sausage, in a large skillet or wok, brown and cook through and set aside to stay warm until ready to serve. If using the optional broccolini, cut and discard any thick bottom stems (thicker than a pencil.) Cut the thinner more tender stems from the florets. Saute the stems in the sausage drippings or olive oil until just about crisp tender. Add 1 cup white wine to the skillet, deglaze the bottom of the pan to scrape up any sausage bits. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the broccolini florets. Cook 2-3 minutes more until crisp tender and remove with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and let cool. Reserve the remainder of the liquid for use with the pasta.
For the Pasta: Start the pasta cooking and then make the pesto sauce below. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes if using dried pasta. Follow package directions Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid to use as needed to loosen the sauce.
Prepare the Pesto: Dunk the basil leaves in water to clean the leaves. Dry on paper towels after spinning off the excess water. Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor bowl and chop finely. Add sun-dried tomatoes and dry basil leaves with coarse salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the grated cheese and process while drizzling in the olive oil until you have the right consistency for pasta sauce.
Assemble: If you prepared the optional sausage or broccolini you now have the base of a flavorful sauce. Add the al dente pasta to the that and combine. If you did not, then add about 1/2 of the sun-dried tomato pesto to the pasta toss to coat, adding some reserved cooking liquid to moisten. If you prepared the sausage/broccolini, stir in. Serve with grated Parmesan.
Note: The sun-dried tomato pesto can also be frozen in the same way I do with classic pesto.
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