Sun-dried Tomato Almond Pesto Linguine

Sun-dried Tomato Almond Pesto Linguine

This recipe was the result of me being home alone, hungry, with no car to go to the store so I had to make do with what was on hand. It is rare that there are not fresh or canned tomatoes on hand at my house but on this occasion a few grape tomatoes rattling around in a near empty container did not hold the promise of the quick puttanesca sauce that I normally throw together for a quick meal for one.

Digging thorough the cupboard, I did however come across a beautiful big bottle of  sun-dried tomatoes packed in  herb infused olive oil. On top of the tomatoes, I spied a small jar of whole unroasted almonds when the inspiration hit me to invent a tomato pesto recipe to toss with some fresh linguine. The resulting meal was on the table in no time and it was utterly delicious.

When the rest of the family came home earlier than expected and fought over the leftovers, with number one son declaring that he has a new favorite pasta dish. This recipe is great with some quickly sauteed garlic shrimp as shown or with grilled chicken, sauteed scallops or pork medallions. It also makes one heck of a vegetarian meal if you don't want to add a meat protein at all.

Originally published on Sept 14, 2011.

Sun-dried Tomato Almond Pesto Linguine

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Sun-dried Tomato Almond Pesto Linguine - a super quick and easy workday meal with added shrimp or grilled chicken or all on its own as a great vegetarian meal.

Prep time: Aproximately 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: Approximately 20 minutes
Yield: About 2 1/2 cups pesto, enough to make pasta for 6 people.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole unroasted almonds
• 2 cups oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup olive oil, or the oil that the tomatoes were packed in.
• 1 tsp crushed chili paste, more or less to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp fresh chopped chives (or other herb of your choice)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Toast the almonds for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, tossing them once during that time.
2. Grind them in a food processor or blender until they are the consistency of a coarse cornmeal. Set aside.
3. Add all the other ingredients to a blender or food processor.
4. Process all together until almost smooth.
5. Quickly pulse in the ground toasted almonds.
6. Toss with fresh cooked linguine and some halved grape tomatoes if desired. Baby spinach also makes a nice addition when tossing together the pesto and pasta. 

Sun-dried Tomato Almond Pesto Linguine