Spicy, sweet and slightly tart — this sundried tomato pesto is a breath of fresh air coating your favorite pasta! Your sauce is ready in 5 minutes in the food processor while your pasta boils, and creamy mozzarella rounds out this recipe.
Pesto is a total classic as far as sauces go — but switching up the OG ingredients can really spice things up.
Traditional pesto ingredients include basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Want to feel adventurous? It’s as easy as swapping out one of the standards for something new, or adding a new flavor to the mix!
In our case we are adding in chewy, tart & sweet sundried tomatoes to our standard line up, and we’re swapping out pine nuts for one of the tastiest nuts on earth: macadamias! Macadamia nuts are creamy, buttery and slightly sweet, making them a perfect compliment to our slightly spicy sauce. Lastly our mozzarella balls also add a yummy creaminess to our pasta that balances any spiciness from our pesto.
Green pesto is delish but you are going to fall in love with this spicy, sweet, nutty red chili pesto!
Here’s what you’ll need for Spicy Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta:
- Your favorite pasta
- Fresh basil
- Macadamia nuts
- Garlic
- Red chili
- Sundried tomatoes in olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Mozzarella balls (ciliegine)
- Pasta water
I think you’ll love this flavor-packed pasta! Let me know if you make this by tagging me on Instagram @thesavvyspoon 🙂
Looking for other Pasta recipes? Check these out:
Sundried Tomato + Walnut Pesto Pasta
Goat Cheese Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
Peas, Pesto & Brussels Sprouts Pasta
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Spicy Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. your favorite pasta
- 8 oz. fresh ciliegine mozzarella balls in water
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- kosher salt & black pepper
spicy sundried tomato pesto
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes drained from oil
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 red chili deseeded
- 1/2 cup roasted salted macadamia nuts
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- juice from 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Start by bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 2 tbsp. kosher salt before adding in your pasta. Cook according to package directions, reserving pasta water.
- Meanwhile, add all spicy sundried tomato pesto ingredients except for the olive oil into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine until paste forms, stopping to use a spatula to push down ingredients often. Begin to drizzle in olive oil to create sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
- In your serving bowl, place sundried tomato pesto. Use a slotted spoon to add hot pasta to serving bowl over sauce. Toss together and add reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce as needed. Top with mozzarella balls and more parmesan, if desired!