Tomatoes are a food you should take advantage of all year. When in season, fresh tomatoes can be used in multiple ways to add diversity, flavor, and nutritional benefits to your diet. Unlike garden fresh tomatoes, dried tomatoes are delicious any time of the year. You can make dehydrated tomatoes at home or choose the more convenient method of buying jars of dehydrated tomatoes.
Sun Dried Tomato Paste is simple to make and can be used in many different types of recipes. One easy recipe for preparing the paste is to put 3 ounces of sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, 1 cup of fresh basil, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese into a food processor and blend on high speed until the mixture transforms into a pesto-like consistency. A paste made of sun dried tomatoes is a key ingredient in Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe
If cooking is something you don’t feel comfortable doing or you don’t have time to do a lot of meal preparation and time-consuming cooking, this quick and easy recipe is perfect for you. Once prepared, it will look and taste like you dedicated a lot of time to it.
Prepare 8 ounces of pasta according to the directions on the box or package. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the tomato pesto. Tomato pesto can be made using the tomato paste recipe above with the addition of pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts. You can vary the type of cheese you use in the recipe to satisfy your personal taste. Add salt and pepper, if needed.
How to Use Dried Tomatoes
Stored in the refrigerator, dried tomato pesto will keep for up to 2 weeks. When you have it on hand, you have a flavorful spread to perk up a sandwich or to use as a flavor-packed pizza sauce. Dried tomatoes can be chopped and added to deviled eggs or mixed into scrambled eggs They can be chopped and added to vegetables to boost the overall nutritional value of a vegetable dish. Sun-dried tomatoes can also be used in bread or cake recipes.