red pesto (vegan)

This pesto is made with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil and a bit of tomato paste. Soooo good! I recommend keeping a jar of this in your fridge as it is so versatile and so delicious!

This vegan pesto is a great alternative to the classic basil pesto and if you like sundried tomatoes, you will definitely love this pesto!

NOT THE CLASSIC PESTO

Most pesto recipes are not vegan as they are made with parmesan cheese, so to make this pesto vegan friendly I used nutritional yeast to add the 'cheesy' flavour.

Traditionally pine nuts are used in pesto's, but I often replace them with walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds or as in this recipe with almonds.

TO MAKE THIS YOU WILL NEED

• sundried tomatoes (from a jar packed in oil)

• fresh basil leaves

• fresh garlic

• almonds, I used flaked almonds

• nutritional yeast

• a good extra virgin olive oil

• fresh lemon juice

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

• and tomato paste (optional, but recommended)

ALTERNATIVE

For a nut-free option, substitute the almonds with sunflower seeds.

HOMEMADE IS BEST

Homemade not only tastes so much better, but you know exactly what's going in and adjust to your preferred taste.

HOW TO STORE THE PESTO

Keep the pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. I recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil on top to stop the pesto from oxidising.

THERE ARE SO MANY TASTY WAYS TO ENJOY THIS PESTO

• spread on a pizza base

• as a filling for a babka, why not try it in this recipe - roasted red pepper babka

• stir into cooked pasta

• mix into soups and sauces

• spread on a sandwich or on a veggie wrap

• with tofu or chickpea scramble (like below)

• mix with tahini or more olive oil to make a quick salad dressing.

• drizzle over roasted vegetables

• Serve with boiled or roasted new potatoes

• serve with courgetti noodles

• add a bit to your next hummus batch

RED PESTO

This pesto is made with sundried tomatoes, basil, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and a bit of tomato paste. Soooo good! I recommend keeping a jar of this in your fridge as it is so versatile and so delicious!

Serves: makes about 1 cup of pesto

Time: 5 min

INGREDIENTS

• 150g sundried tomatoes (from a jar in oil)

• 20g fresh basil leaves

• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic

• 10g nutritional yeast

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• sea salt and black pepper to taste

• 35g almonds (I used flaked almonds)

• 60g extra virgin olive oil or more until desired consistency is reached

• 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, but recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all ingredients, except for the olive oil into a food processor and whizz until a loose paste forms.

2. Keep the food processor running and slowly add the olive oil a little at a time. (Adding it slow will help keep the oil from separating) Scrape the sides down as needed.

3. You can add more olive oil at this point if you wish or a few tablespoons water until the desired consistency is reached. It should be a thick sauce.

4. Taste and adjust as needed. Add more nutritional yeast for cheesy flavour, salt for overall flavour, garlic for zing/bite and more lemon juice for acidity.

5. Transfer and store in an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge. It should keep for up to 1 week.

Have you made this?

If you have, I would love to see your creations on Instagram.

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