Zesty from the garlic, sweet from the caramelized tomatoes … meaty in a way, because of the nuts: Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomato Almond Pesto is out-and-out unusual. The crunch of the breadcrumbs is wonderful in this context, and contributes so much to what makes this dish interesting. The parsley isn’t just for looks, it’s delicious with the pesto.

Ingredients for 4^[a] servings:

½ cup drained, oil-packed, sun-dried tomatoes^[b] (3 ounces) – drained oil reserved
⅓ cup raw^[c] almonds
1-2 large garlic cloves, depending on how much you love garlic
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup fresh^[d] bread crumbs
12 ounces spaghetti^[e]
2 Tbs chopped parsley

How to do it:

1. Put on a large pot of salted water for the pasta. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the tomatoes, almonds, and garlic. Set a timer for 30 seconds. With the processor running, slowly add ¼-cup of the olive oil, timing the pour so that it takes the full 30 seconds to dispense the oil. If the pesto is too stiff, (which is a matter of taste), drizzle in reserved tomato oil by the tablespoonful. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a skillet, toast the bread crumbs over medium heat, in 2 Tbs of olive oil, stirring, until golden. Transfer the crumbs to a plate; season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving ½-cup of the cooking liquid. In the pot, toss the pasta with the pesto, reserved cooking water and remaining 2 Tbs of oil until the sauce clings to the pasta. Transfer the pasta to bowls, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parsley, and drizzle with olive oil.

Notes:

1. You’re only going to get four servings out of this if you serve it with something else. If you’re serving it alone, or if you want to have second helpings, this might serve as few as two.
2. If you bought a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil because you needed one or two, and now the jar’s been lingering for God-knows-how-long … first of all, put it in the fridge. It will keep longer there. The oil will coagulate and look weird, but after a surprisingly short stint on the countertop, it will return to its liquid form and be just like new. This pesto is a fantastic way to use up what’s left of that jar! Indeed, it’s so delicious, it’d be worth buying a jar for. The one drawback about sun-dried tomatoes is how expensive they are. If you’ve got the time, though, they’re actually so easy to make … or at least, it’s so easy to make something very much like them. I learned this trick back when I used to have a yard, and one summer I grew cherry tomatoes. Slice each cherry tomato in half and lay them all cut-side-up on a baking sheet that you’ve lined with foil and nicely oiled. Bake them in a slow oven until they’re caramelized, delightfully chewy, and somewhat crunchy. Salt them, let them cool, and pack them in olive oil. If you’re not going to use them soon, freeze or refrigerate them.
3. The original recipe called for salted, roasted almonds, but the raw ones I used (skins on) produced a completely delicious pesto.
4. The bread crumbs must be homemade. Store-bought would be sorely disappointing here, if not an out-and-out mistake … mainly because their texture is too fine, and they’re too bland. So, how does one come by fresh bread crumbs? If you buy bread that doesn’t contain preservatives, it’s couldn’t be easier: lay a few slices on a cooling rack, on the countertop, and let them sit there for a several hours, or overnight. This is especially true if you live in an airtight, air-conditioned condo like I do most of the year. (Good Lord, if the environment I live in can turn bread into crackers in a matter of hours, imagine what it’s doing to me!) If you do this on a warm, rainy day with the windows open, it just might take forever; in that case, bake them for about 20 minutes in a moderate oven. However you do it, if you have a nice, sliced, artisan loaf, this is an especially good way to use those end pieces that no body ever seems to want. You can pulse dried out bread with a food processor; if the bread is truly dry, you can also do it by hand. Either way, for this dish, I recommend a coarse, rustic texture.
5. This would be a good time to buy whole-wheat pasta. It’s flavor is perfect in this context. Next time I make this, I will double the recipe, and use ⅝ of it on a full, 16-oz. box of pasta, for two reasons: first, I wish this recipe’s servings were a bit larger. Second, using a whole box would avoid my having to have a partial box of pasta taking up space in the cupboard. What would I do with the remaining pesto? It’d be fantastic on grilled chicken. I think it’d probably be good on a hamburger. I have no doubt that it’d be a wonderful sandwich spread.

I first came across this recipe at Food and Wine, and then saw it on one of my favorite sites, The View from Great Island. I haven’t made any substantial changes to the recipe; reordered the directions a bit, and supplied notes. It’s a great recipe. (4.5 / 5). Sue, from the latter site, had some good advice about toasting the almonds. I didn’t follow it, but I think I will next time. I have a feeling that’d lend some very tasty flavor to this dish.

Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomato Almond Pesto

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything.

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