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You guys asked for quick weeknight dinners and this one is a winner! Pesto alla Trapenese is a Sicilian tomato-based pesto sauce that is bright, fresh and light. During the winters, all I really want is a big bowl of hot pasta to warm me up and this pesto alla trapenese pasta does the trick. Growing up in NJ, a lot of my neighbors and friends were Italian and being a vegetarian- pasta was always the go-to meal at their homes! To make the pesto alla trapenese, I like to drop my pasta in my water and then make the pesto while it cooks, making dinner super quick. You can get this meal on the table in less than 15 minutes! Just toss everything into a food processor or blender and go!
Pesto alla trapenese is made with tomatoes, basil, olive oil, almonds, and garlic. I added in some red chili flakes for heat, which is totally optional. For the tomatoes, I used grape or cherry tomatoes because it requires no prep work. However, if you have large Plum or beefsteak tomatoes, just quarter and de-seed them before tossing them into the food processor. Traditional basil pesto has a base of pine nuts, but for this Sicilian tomato pesto, blanched almonds are used. I grabbed a bag of slivered toasted, unsalted almonds from Trader Joe’s. If you are allergic to nuts, you can use toasted unsalted sunflower seeds instead as well.
I highly suggest using good quality parmesan for this pesto. I like to buy bricks of it from the supermarket. I just chop it up into little blocks and toss it into the food processor. To make this pesto alla trapenese vegan, you can use nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan instead. The basil in this pesto is just a supporting actor to the tomato, but again add more if you like!
Traditionally a flat, spiral pasta is used called busiate, which can be hard to find at the store. I like to use spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine for this pasta, but honestly, any shape works!
If you make my tomato pesto be sure to tag me on social media at @milkandcardamom!
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Pesto alla Trapenese
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A easy Sicilian tomato and almond based pesto that is a great weeknight meal! Serves 2-4 people
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pasta (I like to use spaghetti)
- 1/3 cup (35 g) toasted unsalted slivered almonds
- 70 g parmesan, broken into pieces (3/4 cup grated) , **to make it vegan use 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (70 g)**
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 pint (10 oz, 283 g) cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (16 g) basil leaves (~22 leaves)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp red chili flake (or to taste)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil. Once boiling adds 1/2 lb pasta and cook according to directions until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, add 1/3 cup (35 g) slivered almonds, 70 g parmesan, and 2 garlic cloves to a food processor or blender and pulse until fine, about 10-12x. Add 1 pint (10 oz, 283 g) cherry or grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup (16 g) basil leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp red chili flake (or to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until smooth, about 12x. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta into a bowl and add enough pesto to cover the pasta. Top with a little drizzle of olive oil (optional). Use tongs to mix well and add a little bit of pasta water if the sauce needs to be loosened a little. Enjoy while warm. If you have any leftover pesto, you can freeze this in an airtight container or store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
To make this recipe nut-free- use sunflower seeds instead of almonds, to make it Gluten Free- use GF pasta, and to make it vegan use nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan instead of parmesan.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
